The Tribune

Few students can boast of earning college credits while still in high school. Ansellia Ferguson is one of them.

The 12th grader is one of nine Alpha Preparatory Academy students who is also a student at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI). Since Fall 2023, this 16-year-old balanced the rigours of the college-level courses, while juggling high school.

“Some of my courses included Basic QuickBooks, Business Law and Public Speaking. The courses offer the opportunity to bring innovative ideas to life and in Business Law, we dealt with real-world problems by solving cases. It’s made me an analytical thinker,” said Ansellia.

Like her classmate, Naseem Smith, she added Basic QuickBooks to the schedule this semester. Naseem who dreams of owning a carpentry business, said these courses were a good fit for him.

“I wanted to learn about the different types of businesses like corporations and partnerships. I also figured I’d gain more knowledge about starting my own business,” said the teenager.

With parental consent, dual enrolment students get a head start on their technical or vocational careers, armed with employability skills upon high school graduation and the opportunity to matriculate directly into a BTVI certificate, diploma or degree programme.

BTVI’s acting vice president of academic affairs, Dr Pleshette McPhee, lauded the dual enrolment pathway, stating that it provides early exposure to industry-relevant skills.

“The dual enrolment pathway helps students transition smoothly into the workforce or further studies. The pathway enhances career readiness by offering hands-on training in various trades. Ultimately, it bridges the gap between high school and post-secondary education, fostering a skilled workforce,” said Dr McPhee.

According to Dr McPhee, the schedule is determined by the agreement established between BTVI and a student’s school, ensuring students are only at BTVI during times that do not interfere with their high school classes.

In fact, Naseem said he balanced dual enrolment by creating a separate schedule for Mondays and Wednesdays and being disciplined to stick to it. In the Fall, dual enrolment will continue for him as he intends to study Carpentry at BTVI and Electrical Engineering at University of The Bahamas.

Alpha Preparatory Academy Principal, Sharon Fox, highly praised BTVI’s head of department for business trades, Kerima Smith and her team.

“It provided our students the opportunity to earn college credits, but also to learn about critical workplace skills. The Business Trades team’s support was impeccable. Moreover, it helped us in transforming the minds of our students,” said Ms Fox.

Ms Smith acknowledged that the partnership took a lot of dedication, but her team always aims to achieve goals that remind them of their purpose as nation builders.

“That ultimately keeps our passions alive. As I reflect, just to know that we are playing a small part in making someone’s dream of being a business owner a reality is a tremendous accomplishment and I am truly grateful to God that their successful completion will come to fruition,” said Ms Smith.

• “Gain An Edge” is a collaboration of Lyford Cay Foundations, the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute and the University of The Bahamas aimed at promoting a national dialogue on issues surrounding education. To share your thoughts, email gainanedge@tribunemedia.net.