The newly re-launched Virgin Islands School of Technical Studies is a positive step for the territory, and last week we were glad to hear it described as an example by regional education officials.
However, the school is only one piece of a much bigger puzzle: A sustained, integrated approach will be necessary to consistently prepare young people for the rather specific employment opportunities available in the territory.
Last week, government announced that visiting experts from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States had described the VISTS as a model for tourism and hospitality training programmes in the region.
This was welcome news, and we are not surprised. The facility, which officially re-opened in October after the long-delayed completion of a new building, seems likely to serve as an important steppingstone to prepare students for some of the jobs in the territory that are routinely filled by expatriates.
Though the school still occupies its former building as well as the new one, the government’s re-launching and renaming exercise makes sense. In the past, vocational education too often has been regarded as a second-class option for students who don’t pass muster in a more academic environment. But this attitude is unfair, unreasonable, and increasingly out of touch with today’s educational needs.
Currently, after all, there are many well paying, challenging positions in the hospitality and technical fields here and abroad — with plenty of room for advancement.
As a Virgin Gorda contractor recently told VISTS students during Entrepreneurship Week, top project managers in the construction field can earn as much as $10,000 a month. The visitor rightly advised the students that their VISTS education is a good first step toward such a position.
We note that the re-launched school complements other ongoing initiatives, including an ever-growing list of vocational courses offered at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.
But the territory must not forget the wide gap that still exists between the education system and the workforce. Though hard numbers are difficult to come by, there are probably thousands of recent graduates who can’t seem to find a job — even though they get first preference in a territory where a majority of the workforce is from abroad. Clearly, there is much more to be done.
Moving forward, then, the training programmes already in place will need to be continued and expanded. This effort should involve the entire community, including government, schools, businesses and non-profit groups.
Vocational education is crucial, but only sustained collaboration among all stakeholders will ensure that young people will be properly prepared for life after school.
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