Education

TVET Council Announces Barbados Team For WorldSkills 2024

The Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council (TVETC) has announced the Barbados team that will compete at the 47th WorldSkills Competition, WorldSkills Lyon 2024, which will take place from September 10 to 15, in Lyon, France.

The announcement was made today by Technical Delegate for the WorldSkills Lyon team, Dario Walcott, at the office of TVETC, Hastings House West, Balmoral Gap, Hastings, Christ Church.

Team Barbados will see Sarah Gilkes-Daniel at the helm as team leader, with the following competitors in their various disciplines: Nathan Daniel – Automobile Technology; Hollyann Bayley – Car Painting; Moriah Hill – Cooking; and Saida Shepherd-Jones – Restaurant Service.

Each competitor will be accompanied by an expert in each area: Wayne Maycock (Automobile Technology), Negas Alleyne-Browne (Car Painting), Chef Peter Edey (Cooking) and Roderick Prescod (Restaurant Service).

Acting Executive Director of the TVETC, Wendy McClean, stated that visitors to the WorldSkills Lyon competition will have a chance to access both high-level discussions and thought leadership, around skills via the WorldSkills conference, as well as the opportunity to see skills excellence in action.

Ms. McClean expressed gratitude to the WorldSkills member countries network, which provided opportunities for the Barbadian competitors to gain access to high-level training, as well as international competition experience.

She said the competitors underwent a series of training activities and assessments as part of their preparation and selection for the competition.

“The training schedule also included the opportunity for competitors to practise their skills and participate in many competitions overseas as a result of invitations from other WorldSkills member countries, and for this we are grateful. This has helped to provide the squad with much needed competition experience, which is expected to help psychologically prepare them for the WorldSkills beyond 2024,” she stated.

According to Ms. McClean, those competition opportunities included an invitation from WorldSkills China to participate in the second Belt and Road International Skills competition, which was held in China in June 2024; the 2024 Skills Canada Automotive Skills Invitational and the Canadian Status Skills Painting Global Challenge, both held in July, and the recently concluded Skills Canada Cooking and Training competition in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Competitors have also been undergoing high performance training locally, with Dr. Janelle Chase-Mayers and her team at Re-Engineering Well-Being Consultancy, which included mental skills training and physical training.

Caption: Front row, left to right – TVET Council Executive Director (Ag), Wendy McClean; Minister of State, Ministry of Education, Sandra Husbands and Chairman, TVET Council, Dr. Albert Best pose with the Barbados team for WorldSkills Lyon 2024. Back row, left to right – Sarah Gilkes-Daniel; Wayne Maycock; Negas Alleyne-Browne; Nathan Daniel; Hollyann Bailey; Moriah Hill; Saida Shepherd-Jones; and Dario Walcott. Missing are Chef Peter Edey, and Roderick Prescod. (TVET Council)

The WorldSkills Competition, the largest international skills competition, is organised every two years under the aegis of WorldSkills International.

WorldSkills Lyon 2024 will see 1,500 competitors coming from 65 countries and regions competing in 64 skills to demonstrate their competence and mastery. Barbados became a WorldSkills member in 2011. (PR/GIS)

Education

Immigration Webinar For Students Wishing To Study In Canada

Barbadians interested in pursuing studies in Canada are invited to participate in the online Immigration Seminar of the Consulate General of Barbados, in Toronto.

The Consulate, as part of its annual activities to observe National Heroes Day, is hosting a week of activities, and the key event will be the Immigration Seminar tomorrow Thursday, April 24, at 6:00 p.m.

Over the past 12 months, there have been significant changes to the requirements and processes for obtaining an international student visa. As a result, the seminar will focus on the recent changes to the entry requirements for international students coming to Canada to pursue undergraduate or postgraduate studies.

Prospective students, as well as parents, guardians, guidance counsellors, school teachers and principals, who have a vested interest in obtaining the most up-to-date and accurate information to make the most informed choice from the available study options, are encouraged to participate in the online seminar.

Alana Alleyne, a barrister and solicitor, will cover areas such as the latest changes to international student visas, eligibility criteria for student visas, requirements for postgraduate work permits, and changes to eligibility for spousal work permits. (PR/GIS)

Education

Information Session For Teachers Keen On Working In USA

Primary school teachers interested in working in the United States of America (USA) are invited to an upcoming Information Session, tomorrow Thursday, April 24.

The session will be hosted in the Main Conference Room of the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Third Sector, Warrens Office Complex, Warrens, St. Michael, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The initiative is being facilitated by the Ministry, in partnership with the Barbados Employment and Career Counselling Service, the Barbados Union of Teachers, and Participate Learning, a USA recruitment firm.

During the event, Participate Learning will share important information on the application and recruitment processes, as well as on working in the USA. (PR/GIS)

Education

Ellerslie Students Welcomed At Barbados’ Embassy In Panama

The Embassy of Barbados in the Republic of Panama was pleased to welcome The Ellerslie School students and staff to its Chancery in Panama City, recently.

Chargé d’Affaires, Sandra Gittens, in her welcome to the group, which included Principal, Andrea Baptiste and Deputy Principal, Carl Applewhaite, shared the history of the mission, noting that the Embassy was established in 2020.

Mrs. Gittens said this was “in line with the Barbados Government’s desire to strengthen its relations and cooperation with Panama across a number of areas, including trade, investment, tourism and education”.

She expressed the hope that the visit would signal the start of a new relationship with The Ellerslie School in pursuit of future student-to-student and teacher-to-teacher exchanges, in collaboration with the Ministries of Educational Transformation and Training and Tertiary Education and its Panamanian counterpart, within the framework of the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries.

Speaking on the value of learning a foreign language, First Secretary, Shireifa Joseph, spoke of her experience as a foreign language student and the positive impact that it has had on her career.

She encouraged the students to continue their foreign language journey, signalling that they were well on their way to becoming “bridge builders” in their future careers with the capacity to connect Barbados to other countries across the globe.

Counsellor at the Embassy, Michelle Carter, also noted the value of language learning, especially for those studying tourism, stating that developing a strong proficiency in a foreign language will serve as a critical tool in opening doors to their success in this sector, whether in Barbados or abroad. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Students, teachers and parents of the Ellerslie secondary school to the Embassy of Barbados in the Republic of Panama