The Third National TVET Conference

The third national Technical and Vocational Education and Training Conference is being held in Belize City. The conference began today with a packed agenda where professionals of different backgrounds spoke about the challenges facing the TVETs in Belize and how those challenges can be addressed in an effective and timely manner. This year’s theme is Improving TVET: Creating Higher Standards through quality and innovation for improved productivity, employment, and sustainability. Minister of Education Patrick Faber highlighted the importance of TVETs in the country.

Patrick Faber

Patrick Faber, Minister of Education

“The TVET sector is one that is very important for Belize’s development. Of course there have been struggle, getting our TVETs and our wider curriculum for TVET education functioning in this country. This two day session will bring stakeholders together. I am very pleased that stakeholders from industry, businesses are here. They are sitting down with the ministry and the other stakeholders so that we can hear suggestions and hopefully come up with very concrete plans to improve the quality of TVET education and to make it relevant for our development here in Belize. TVET education in general is not something for people who are not smart. I might be something for people who are not academically inclined or even if you are you can still join in what is TVET. We were joking in the opening ceremony about men who are academic versus men who are vocational and technically inclined. But there can be that mix. Also women can certainly engage in technical and vocational education. So it is something for everybody and anybody who sees this as something that they can do.”

The conference continues on Friday.