COLLEGES and Institutes Canada (CICan) Director Anglophone Africa and Caribbean, Susan Sproule visited Saint Lucia this week to launch the new Skills to Access the Green Economy (SAGE) Program. SAGE will support demand-driven technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in key economic sectors vulnerable to the impacts of climate change in Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, and St Lucia.
The 5-year programme will focus on increasing the capacity of local training institutions to deliver gender-sensitive skills training programmes that meet economic and environmental needs in the region, by leveraging the expertise of Canadian colleges and institutes. The goal of the programme is to contribute to the development of a more qualified labour force for employment in key economic sectors vulnerable to climate change.
All in all, 10 Canadian colleges and institutes will partner with 12 local Caribbean partners across the SAGE programme’s six countries of focus.
This CAD $15M programme is funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada, and Susan Sproule was joined for the programme inauguration by Benoit-Pierre Laramee, Minister Counsellor (Development) High Commission of Canada to Barbados and the OECS, as well as Barrymore Felicien, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources & Co-operatives.
“We are incredibly pleased to launch this new programme, which builds on a proud history of partnership between Canadian and Caribbean TVET institutions. This includes our own CARICOM Education for Employment Program (C-EFE) that concluded in 2018 in which roughly 2000 students, across twelve countries, graduated from new TVET programmes, said Denise Amyot. We look forward to this continued collaboration as we work together to tackle pressing challenges linked to climate change while investing in the resilience of Caribbean learners, post-secondary institutions, and businesses.”
A three-day orientation session will follow the programme launch to provide an opportunity for all participants to develop a shared understanding of SAGE. Presenters will focus on the required partnership outcomes and frameworks in place for the undertaking of gender analysis, projection of green skills, development of occupational standards, the awarding of Caribbean vocational qualifications, and curriculum development.