Editors of the newly launched book Technical Vocational Education and Training in Jamaica: Achievements, Impact, and Challenges: Prof. Disraeli Hutton (4th left), Professor (Retired) of Educational Leadership and former Head of the School of Education, The UWI, Mona, and Dr. Hope Mayne (4th right), Associate Vice President, Teaching & Learning (Acting), UTech, Jamaica, are joined for a photo by UTech, Jamaica President, Dr. Kevin Brown (3rd left); Deputy President and Provost, Professor Shermaine Barrett (3rd right); keynote speaker, Professor Alwin Wint (2nd left), OJ, CD, Emeritus Professor of International Business, The University of the West Indies; Dr. Paul Ivey (centre), Manager, UTech, Jamaica Press; and contributors to the book (l–r) Dr. Carole Powell, Dr. Marcia Rowe-Amonde, and Professor Halden Morris. The official launch ceremony was held on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, at the Shared Facilities Building, Papine Campus.
A groundbreaking new book titled Technical Vocational Education and Training in Jamaica: Achievements, Impact, and Challenges was officially unveiled by The University of Technology, Jamaica Press at a launch ceremony held onWednesday, November 26, 2025, at the Shared Facilities Building, Papine Campus. The publication, edited by Prof. Disraeli Hutton, Dr. Hope Mayne, and Prof. Raymond Dixon chronicles Jamaica’s TVET journey, tracing its development and evolution, highlighting its contribution to workforce readiness and economic growth, while identifying the structural challenges that must be addressed to meet the demands of a modern technology-driven economy.
Dr. Kevin Brown, President, University of Technology, Jamaica and Chairman, of the Press signs a replica of the book cover during the book launch ceremony.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, presenters emphasized the book’s timeliness and its potential to influence policy, scholarship, and national thinking about vocational training. In his welcome, Dr. Kevin Brown, President, University of Technology, Jamaica and Chairman, of the Press drew on his personal story as a graduate of Herbert Morrison Technical High School, “TVET and STEM have given me everything that I have to date,” he shared, noting that despite the historical stigma associated with technical pathways, a technical high school education provided the ideal foundation for his successful career in engineering.
“For me, attending a technical high school was the perfect solution for someone who wanted to be an engineer.” although, historically, students considered “less capable” were streamed into technical subjects without the same level of academic support.
He emphasized however, that Jamaica has progressed. “I think we’ve come a long way because if you look at what is happening around TVET now, TVET is all about technology,” he said, pointing to transformations in fields such as mechanics, construction, and industrial maintenance.
Dr. Brown praised the new volume for documenting this journey. “This book ultimately captures the history of TVET and I hope we now use that as a springboard to really move forward with TVET.”
He also highlighted UTech, Jamaica’s expanding partnership with HEART/NSTA Trust, affirming that “we are proudly hands on because we know that by combining theory with hands on education, you produce a quality graduate, so we infuse that in all our disciplines here at UTech and that formula has produced the superstars that we have released into the industry, both locally and internationally.”
Editors’ Remarks
Prof Disraeli Hutton, Professor (Retired) of Educational Leadership, former Head of the School of Education, The UWI, Mona, issued a call for transformation, stating that “the critical problem is that TVET as a discipline has undergone limited or no transformation within the school system” as he highlighted the lack of upgrading of essential equipment including workbenches over a number of decades.
Dr. Hope Mayne, Associate Vice President, Teaching & Learning (Acting), UTech, Jamaica emphasized the book’s practical value, describing the book as “an evidence-based view of the TVET landscape… to serve as a crucial guide for policy makers, researchers, educators and industry leaders seeking to truly understand and elevate technical and vocational education globally.”
“We also looked ahead to what we feel TVET needs to evolve into to meet Jamaica’s workforce and occupational needs,” said co-editor, Professor Raymond Dixon, Professor of Career Technical Education, University of Idaho, noting the importance of the book’s documentation of the history and challenges of TVET for new scholars.
Reviewers Recognize the book’s “Timely” Contribution
Book reviewers Professor Shermaine Barrett (left), Deputy President and Provost, UTech, Jamaica and Professor Canute Thompson (right), Pro Vice- Chancellor, UWI speaking at the book launch.
Reviewers Professor Shermaine Barrett, Deputy President and Provost, UTech, Jamaica and Professor Canute Thompson, Pro Vice- Chancellor, UWI congratulated the editors on the production of the book while praising its timeliness as the region gives renewed focus on TVET.
Professor Barrett commended the book’s “holistic and evidence-based understanding of how TVET and industry intersect to shape Jamaica’s economic trajectory,” while Professor Thompson stressed that despite historical stigmatization, “TVET is life and it is the tools through which we make the environment in which we live, livable,” positing that “this book is central to the understanding we need to seek to promote about the future of our societies.”
Keynote Address – Prof. Alvin Wint Urges TVET’s integration into the curriculum and a societal reassessment of outdated notions of “occupational prestige”
Professor Alwin Wint, OJ, CD, Emeritus Professor of International Business, The University of the West Indies delivers the keynote address during the book launch ceremony.
Keynote speaker, Professor Alwin Wint, OJ, CD, Emeritus Professor of International Business, The University of the West Indies framed TVET as central to Jamaica’s development prospects. He argued that small nations must navigate global risks through policy stability, strong governance, sustainable infrastructure, and, critically, world class education and training.
“It is because of the importance of education and training to development prospects to countries such as Jamaica that the launch of the volume on technical vocational training in Jamaica is so important,” he said.
Tracing Jamaica’s TVET history from the limited skilled labour available after a devastating 1933 hurricane to the establishment and success of HEART Trust/NSTA, Prof. Wint underscored the need to address the long-standing disconnect between education and labour-market demands.
He emphasized the importance of expanding technical high schools and highlighted the foundational role of HEART Trust/NSTA, stating, “The heart of Jamaica’s TVET ecosystem is undoubtedly the Human Employment and Resource Training institution.” He recounted Mr. Edward Seaga’s motivation for establishing the agency in 1982, quoting Seaga’s observation of “a constant series of complaints” from school leavers who said, ‘I’ve done well at school, I’ve passed my examinations, but I can’t find a job.”
Prof. Wint added that Seaga recognized a systemic flaw, “the disconnect between our educational process and the needs of our country,” noting that Jamaica had long imported an unsuitable education model that was “not designed for our circumstances and we have struggled with that misfit for years.” HEART’s design, he explained, ensured both large-scale training and a dedicated funding model to support it.
Prof. Wint linked Jamaica’s training outcomes to international indicators, noting that in 2019, out of 141 countries, Jamaica placed 36 in the Global Competitiveness Report for quality of vocational training, leading the Caribbean.
Challenging conventional narratives around school performance, Prof Wint said, “we tend to focus a lot on those schools that have the best performances at CSEC, but what we also need to look at is, what is the value added.” He stressed, “what you have to look at is the value added in the system, where does the system take individuals from and where does it put them and when you do that, you’ll realize that we have world class leaders in our educational system.”
Turning to ongoing challenges, Prof. Wint pointed to the persistent shortage of trained personnel, noting that “Jamaican enterprises continue to bemoan the lack of trained personnel available in the country.” He also pointed to the challenges of migration, which he argues, places unique pressure on small developing economies that lack “disproportionate access to natural resources.” Citizens of these countries he explained, often migrate for economic reasons as they weigh the risks of living in locales where limited scale and technology create competitiveness challenges.
He reiterated that part of the difficulty stems from, “an educational system that has largely been unfit for purpose and it has stigmatized vocational training and inserted artificial barriers suggesting a dichotomy between so called academic and so-called vocational education. There is no such dichotomy,” he asserted.
Emphasizing the need for mindset shifts, Prof. Wint called for TVET’s integration into the curriculum and a societal reassessment of outdated notions of “occupational prestige.”
Dr. Paul Ivey, Manager, UTech, Jamaica Press and Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies Research & Entrepreneurship providing an overview of the Press during the book launch ceremony.
Dr. Paul Ivey, Manager, UTech, Jamaica Press and Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies Research & Entrepreneurship provided an overview of the Press, which began operations in 2018, under the Office of the President. Its mission is to encourage research and scholarly publishing among UTech, Jamaica staff while contributing to national and regional development priorities. Since its inception, the UTech, Jamaica Press has published twelve books on a diverse range of topics such as the tourism industry, mental health, chronic diseases and the evolution of the Jamaican Public Health System. Encouraging purchase of the new volume which is available on Amazon and Book Fusion, Dr. Ivey stated that “This book arrives at a decisive moment. It documents where we have been, clarifies where we are, and challenges us to imagine where Jamaica’s TVET system must go. Our hope is that it inspires deeper research, stronger policy, and a renewed commitment to preparing a workforce capable of driving national and regional transformation.”
END.
Contact:
Michelle Beckford (Mrs.)
Corporate Communications Manager
University of Technology, Jamaica
Telephone: (876) 970-5299
Email: mbeckford@utech.edu.jm
