The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THERE has been a significant increase in student enrolment at Bahamas Technical and Vocational Training Institute, which is soon expected to reach 7,000 students.

Dr Robert Robertson, BTVI president, spoke about the figures while in Grand Bahama on Thursday. He said that BTVI's enrolment in Freeport is expected to double by the summer.

“BTVI currently has 6,000 students. We are almost at record enrolment and at the end of this term we will be at 7,000 students,” he told Minister for Grand Bahama Ginger Moxey.

Dr Robertson and Veronica Collie, associate vice president BTVI, paid a courtesy call on the minister at the Office of the Prime Minister in Freeport.

He told Ms Moxey that the institute has a lot of interests, especially in Grand Bahama, for the information and communication technology programme.

“We have approximately 500 students from Grand Bahama currently enrolled in the ICT programme, which was a major programme started in Freeport.

“We expect to have 1,000 students in that programme by summer 2022,” Dr Robertson said.

He said the ICT programme generated its first graduating group last year and some students have gone onto schools like Georgia Tech and Purdue, with scholarship funds, in addition to advanced credits.

He said the programme is growing fast.

Dr Robertson said they are also looking to offer new programmes, including an allied health course.

“We are working with a school in the US on an allied health programme, which is also important here. We will have visitor booths here on the ground within two weeks from New England Institute of Technology,” he said.

He said that they are going to ensure the school will also come to Freeport on February 8.

When asked how BTVI is operating in a COVID environment, Dr Robertson said it is challenging, but students are adjusting well.

“We are operating with challenges like everyone else. We are virtual and we use a blended methodology. So, the courses are offered online, but there are boot camps. So, if you are doing nail technician or carpentry, you need to come in and do some hands-on work, but the courses are fundamentally online.

“And many of our students want online. They don’t want to go back to face-to-face. A lot of the students are on another island posted as police and defence (force) officers, and they would not be able to continue their studies if we were not online,” he explained.