Patricia McPherson, CARICOM Secretariat Robert Gregory, Education Specialist ACCC Conference

1. Quality-Assured Certification: The Key to Greater Workforce Mobility in the Caribbean and Internationally Patricia McPherson, CARICOM Secretariat Robert Gregory, Education Specialist ACCC Conference June 2, 2013

2. PRESENTATION OUTLINE • PART 1: SETTING THE CONTEXT • CARICOM (What is it, Why in existence) • The Birth of the CARICOM Single Market • Caribbean –Canada Relations • TVET IN THE REGION • In formal and non formal education • Its portability within the Free Movement of skills • Regime • TVET –The Answer? • -

3. PRESENTATION OUTLINE • PART 2: ROBERT’S PART -

4. CARICOM CARICOM The Caribbean Community Established by the Treaty of Chaguaramas signed at the historic Chaguaramas Convention Centre, Trinidad and Tobago 4 July 1973

5. CARICOM CARICOM: The Original Signatories Jamaica Hon Michael Manley Barbados Hon Errol Barrow Trinidad & Tobago Dr the Hon Eric Williams Guyana Hon Forbes Burnham

6. CARICOM CARICOM Fifteen Member States

7. CARICOM CARICOM Five Associate Members • Anguilla • Bermuda • British Virgin Islands • Cayman Islands • Turks and Caicos Islands

8. CARICOM CARICOM

9. CARICOM CARICOM

10. CARICOM • The birth of the caricom single market and economy (csme)

11. CARICOM CARICOM

12. January 2006 - The CSM became operational; six Member States signed the Agreement July 2006 – Six other Member States signed the Agreement January 2006 - Revised Treaty of Chaguaramasentered into force through ratification by twelve Member States

13. February 2008 – Haiti ratified CSM Agreement - The Bahamas is not a part of the CSM - Montserrat is awaiting entrustment

14. The CSME:- A single enlarged economic space CARICOM Macro- economic and sectoral policy coordination Functional cooperation • Free movement • of goods, services, • capital, technology, labour • Common external • trade policy • Non- discriminatory • access to the region’s resources & markets for CARICOM • nationals The Single Market

15. CARICOM The CARICOM Community • The Member States of the (CARICOM) have responded to the economic challenges of globalisation and trade liberalisation by deepening the integration process through the creation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). The free movement of skilled persons one of the main pillars of the CSME. Issues of skill development through TVET and the portability of qualifications, have assumed renewed importance in positioning the Region for competitive participation in the global economy.

16. CARICOM The CARICOM Community In order to achieve this, there must be:

17. CARICOM The CARICOM Community

18. CARICOM CARICOM

19. Robert Gregory’s part

20. The Regional Strategy The Process • Bottom up - 12 National 3 Regional Consultations • Ensure integrity, respectful of contributions • Verification, ratification • Advocacy Strategy, lobbying • Importance of ownership and accountability

21. “Regional TVET Strategy for Workforce Development and Economic Competitiveness: Skills and Credentials--the New Global Currency” • Vision Statement: Sustainable economic prosperity through the creation of a globally competitive regional workforce enabled by a market-responsive education and training system • Difference from Previous Strategy • Economic not social domain • Focus on Credentials • Accountability • Implementation

22. 7 Pillars of the Strategy • TVET redefined and promoted as an agent of Workforce Development and Economic Competitiveness • TVET Integrated with General Education for life and livelihood • A CARICOM Training System • Labour Market Intelligence for Workforce Development • Career Guidance and Counselling • Instructor Training • TVET Financing: Public Private Partnerships

23. 1. TVET redefined and promoted as an agent of Workforce Development and Economic Competitiveness • Shift from supply to demand-driven • High level skills, not ‘dunces’ • Innovation and entrepreneurship • Focusing on practical skills, greater socioemotional development • Positive Marketing

24. 2. TVET Integrated with General Education for Life and Livelihood. • Stop marginalization of TVET as ‘less than’ • Ensure students graduate with some practical skills • Not dead-ended • “Education makes you trainable and Training makes you employable, while attitude keeps you employed”

25. CARICOM Training System • Need to develop the regional Training system so each country can deliver CVQs • Need to train and capacitate smaller countries • Diagram

26. A CARICOM TRAINING SYSTEM

27. 4. Labour Market Intelligence for Workforce Development • LMI needs to drive planning, evaluation, new program development • Modeled on ‘just in time, good enough’ • Predictive • Sectoral • Involves multitude of means of collecting intelligence including priorities of gov’t, investment community, etc.

28. 5. Career Guidance and Counselling • Almost non-existent in Caribbean • Mostly personal, academic • Need new kind of counsellor • Knowledge of Labour Market • Self assessment tools and strategies • Unbiased towards academia • Service to workforce and students

29. 6. Instructor Training • Instructors with current knowledge, skills and credentials from industry • “It’s easier to teach a plumber to teach than to teach a teacher to plumb” • Student-centred, competency-based • Standards • Flexible hiring practices

30. 7. TVET Financing: Public Private Partnerships • Need new models of financing • Ministry of Education can no longer carry entire burden • Strategies to engage industry • Applied Research, joint undertakings, contract training • Need Sector-driven public private partnerships • Industry, line ministries, education ministries and sector leaders and investors join forces • E.g. Megaprojects

31. C-EFE Project • Synergy between C-EFE and Regional Strategy • Project is assisting to: • Strengthen regional capacity • Develop 16 Canadian Caribbean institutional partnerships in sectors/programs of high priority in labour market • Model Canadian best practices

32. Next Steps • Implementation • Accountability • Roll out of the Regional Strategy • Regular reporting and monitoring • Accountability