The Tribune

Fifty-four persons are participating in the Certified Craft Instructor training course’s second intake in a bid to close skills gaps and ensure Bahamians are employable.

The course, offered by the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI), began on Monday, July 20, at SuperClubs Breezes. It is being taught by Mark Hughes, pictured, the National Centre for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) master trainer and construction programmes manager, at Valencia College.

Jeffrey Lloyd, minister of education, in a virtual address said the craftsmen and women are being certified by international criteria that will enable them to meet global best practices and work anywhere in the world.

“Events in The Bahamas recently, in particular Hurricane Dorian last year September, and now COVID-19, have reinforced the need for us to build our trades skills capability in this country. That’s why the government is addressing this very pressing need for certified training in the trades fields by having our trades teachers achieve the industry-led standard of the NCCER,” he said.

Dr Robert Robertson, BTVI president, said that over the past two years the institution has been working on delivering industry-recognised certified training. He added that there are many jobs available for trained certified tradespeople.

“The intent is to provide people with the training certification that will allow you to be the trainers of those students who will go out into the industry and work in the types of jobs that are available, particularly Abaco and Grand Bahama and elsewhere in The Bahamas,” Dr Robertson said.

“Industry certification is particularly important in all parts of the world as we hope to address a pressing and growing skills gap in the trades, particularly.”

Kevin Basden, BTVI’s chairman; Michael Pratt, president of the Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) and Alexander Darville, BTVI’s dean of construction trades and workforce development, were in the line-up for the opening ceremony.

BTVI instructors, retired Royal Bahamas Defence Force Officers, representatives of One Eleuthera Foundation, officers from the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services, members of the Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) and Ministry of Works employees are enrolled in the four-day course.

The training is based on the criteria of the NCCER, an internationally-recognised accrediting body that has designed standardised training and credentialing programmes for more than 70 craft areas.

NCCER is considered the training, assessment, certification and career development standard for construction and maintenance craft professionals.