The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) forged ties with developers of a multi-million dollar, six-star residential project on Norman’s Cay during a recent visit to the island. BTVI’s President, Dr. Robert W. Robertson and Dean of Construction and Workforce Development, Alexander Darville, met with Fort Hospitality President, Keith Space and Exuma Resort Developers Limited’s (ERDL) Director of Island Operations, Richard “Dick” McCombe to discuss the project which is currently under construction.

This partnership comes as more than 100 trained and certified craft instructors and more than 1,000 students are in various phases of the multi-staged National Centre for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) certification.

Dr. Robertson underscored that BTVI has additional students across the country being recruited for NCCER training, to meet the demands of construction projects slated for 2022. He pledged the institute’s excitement for inclusion in the Norman’s Cay project.

“This is a world-class, innovative, sustainable and smart development and we are pleased to explore working with such a high-quality project," said Dr. Robertson.

Mr. McCombe expressed that the intention is to have BTVI assist in the Norman’s Cay project by providing industry-certified training using the NCCER process, noting that elevation of skillsets and certifications are key.

“We recognize that digitization is increasingly important for development and construction projects. We are pleased to introduce these new models to The Bahamas and our goal is to work with BTVI and others to advance this new system of development and project management,” said Mr. McCombe.

“There will be a need for certified tradesmen and women to maintain the property during the development phase and beyond,” he added.

As BTVI continues to onboard students for NCCER training, there are ongoing discussions related to internships and other ways to expose students who may be interested in the high-end hospitality industry.

The NCCER is an internationally recognized accrediting body that has designed standardized training and credentialing programs for more than 70 craft areas such as carpentry, masonry, drywall, electrical, HVAC, tiling and plumbing. NCCER is considered the training, assessment, certification and career development standard for construction and maintenance craft professionals.