Under the project, the Government of Japan procured equipment, tools and machinery valuing approximately J$ 87.6 million and dispatched both long-term (two years), and short-term (less than one year), personnel to the project, and engaged Jamaican counterparts in training in Japan.

Objective

The Technical Vocational (TachVoc) Unit within the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture (MOEYC) saw the need to ameliorate the quality and level of technical and vocational education and training in Jamaica.

As such the TVET Improvement Project was formulated with a mandate to improve the level of TVET in the fields of auto-mechanics, Computer Assisted Drafting (CAD), Electronics and Machine Shop Technology, both for teachers' and students' development.

Strategies

The following fundamental strategies were employed:

• Revamping & improving the curriculum currently being used in three areas and introduce one additional, CAD. This was achieved by :
• Adjusting both CXC & NVQJ syllabi to incorporate computer-oriented new technology.
• Development of standardised lesson plans to aid in the efficient and effective delivery of the curriculum

Activities

The Government of Jamaica through HEART Trust/NTA’s Technical High School Development Project has constructed a workshop at JMTHS, complete with labs for Auto-mechanics, CAD, Electronics, Machine Shop, Welding, Electrical Installation and others including a teachers’ area. However, the MOEYC undertook the expansion of the Auto Mechanics lab.

The Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), the organization with responsibility for Japan's Official Overseas Development Co-operation, dispatched personnel in different areas: Project administrators - Adviser & Co-ordinator; long-term technical experts - auto-mechanics, CAD, electronics and machine shop technologist.

Short-term experts were also dispatched in the areas of Curriculum Development, Installation & Programming of Computer Numeric Control Machines (CNC), and Procurement.

Provision of technical equipment, machinery and tools worth J$87.6 million was procured on a phased basis over the five-year co-operation.

Most of the equipment has already been installed and is currently in use at JMTHS.

To the end of April 2000, ten (10) persons from the MOEYC including education officers and counterpart teachers at JMTHS, received specialised training in Japan. These teachers will be responsible for the dissemination of information and technology to the other teachers in the technical schools in Jamaica.

In-service training of technical & vocational teachers from the different technical schools in Jamaica was done at JMTHS. This training was a follow-up module type and catered to a total of sixty-two (62) teachers, in the areas previously mentioned.

Surveys of the CXC, HEART NQJ and SSC syllabi have been conducted to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses, consequently a revamped curriculum was produced and tested at JMTHS.