The Grand Bahama Port Authority Limited in conjunction with The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute, recently held a contractors’ workshop in their continued efforts to educate those in the field and seeking to enter it.
The virtual meeting was geared towards contractors, high school seniors, recent graduates and workers in the construction industry. There were 63 participants.
BTVI President, Dr. Robert W. Robertson, noted the change in some of the organization’s courses.
“Our programs are much shorter than in the past, but it doesn’t mean we have compromised on quality. The courses are shorter, flexible, blended, certified and free. Flexible and blended courses are the future of education, even after Covid19. What it allows us to do is push product training to the family islands,” said Dr. Robertson.
“Almost all of our courses are certified. Most technical schools are moving towards globally recognized certifications. We’re being aggressive. Certification is the ticket to the future, in terms of work; certifications are critical. These have driven the growth of the organization over the past five years,” he added.
Some of the certifications offered at BTVI are City and Guilds, Cisco, CompTIA and the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER).
“BTVI is responsive to the situation we are in (globally). We will be of value to you going forth. BTVI is probably one of the best kept secrets in The Bahamas; it’s a real jewel. Our growth has been nothing short of phenomenal,” said Dr. Robertson.
Senior Electrical Inspector at the Grand Bahama Port Authority, Donovan Cox noted the importance of the workshop.
“Our contractors ought always be a step ahead and duly informed; they ought to keep up to date in their respective disciplines,” said Mr. Cox.
“BTVI has an arsenal of impressive opportunities. There is a whole variety of fields that they can give a level of service to the Grand Bahama community,” he added.
BTVI’s Associate Vice President of the Northern Campus, Veronica Collie, thanked principles and guidance counsellors for getting the word out about the program, even as seniors are in national examination mode.
Meanwhile, Assistant Manager of the Northern Campus, Gayla Wallace, spoke to the program offerings and admission requirements, while Online Learning Coordinator, Yolande Samuels-Cole, gave details about the CISCO DevNet Associate program, which is a joint venture between BTVI, the government and CISCO Networking Academy. It provides 100 Bahamians with an interest in IT and Software Development the opportunity to become certified CISCO software developers in an accelerated time.
Ms. Samuels-Cole also gave details about the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) program, which too is a joint effort between the government and BTVI; it is the brain child of Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Dr. Hubert Minnis and focuses on educating youth in the ever-evolving technology field, increasing their employability opportunities and tightening the skills gap in the country. The program recruits 10th graders, who participate over a three-year period (three summer semesters), with the anticipation of completing in summer of 12th grade. The first cohort will graduate this year.
Also present during the meeting were Grand Bahama Port Authority’s Director of Building and Development Services, Nakira Wilchcombe; BTVI’s board member, Don Forbes; Dean of Construction and Workforce Development, Alexander Darville and Recruitment Officer of the Northern Campus, Sherlock Prince.
