Growth & Jobs | HEART, INFOTEP sign letter of intent

The HEART/NSTA Trust and the National Institute of Technical-VocationalTraining (INFOTEP), Dominican Republic have signed a letter of intent to enhance the quality and delivery of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Jamaica.

The partnership will facilitate virtual and in-person exchanges of best practices aimed at strengthening professional education among TVET leaders and educators.

It will also support the development and implementation of support systems for career guidance and counselling, employment and labour mobility, as well as programmes and practices to increase productivity.

The letter was signed during the HEART/NSTA Trust Sub-Regional Summit 2023, held in collaboration with the International Labour Organization/Cinterfor, at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston on November 23.

The three-day summit, which commenced on November 22, was held under the theme ‘TVET: A Pillar for Social and Economic Change in the Caribbean’.

HEART/NSTA Managing Director, Dr Taneisha Ingleton, described the agreement as a “significant partnership”.

“There is no way that we can do anything alone. This silos approach is no longer working. Let us pull together and change the perception of TVET across the region and the rest of the world,” Dr Ingleton said.

For his part, INFOTEP Director General Rafael Santos Badia noted that it is important for the Dominican Republic and Jamaica to collaborate, even though Spanish is their official language.

“Together, we can help to ensure the integration of the Caribbean area. We are committed to training people so that they can be better citizens in their countries,” he remarked.

The HEART/NSTA Trust is Jamaica’s leading human capital development agency.