On July 17, 2025, about 300 Saint Lucians who participated in a Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQ) programme delivered through the Human Capital Resilience Project (HCRP) received their Certificates at an impressive graduation ceremony organised by the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC).
Courses pursued included Construction Site Supervision, Plumbing, Motor Vehicle Engine System, Food and Beverage Restaurant Server, Carpentry, Wall and Floor Tiling, and Painting and Decorating.
CVQ is a Caribbean-wide, competency-based system for vocational training and certification which seeks to ensure that Caribbean citizens have the skills and knowledge required for specific jobs, that meet industry standards. Because they are recognized throughout CARICOM, they promote the free movement of skilled workers which is a centrepiece of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).
It warmed my heart observing the pride and excitement of graduates between the ages of 17 and 70 years as they received their certificates. The event reinforced the logic of past generations to learn a trade (léta) either to supplement their earnings from their main jobs, or to improve their chances of survival if they should lose that job. My father saw this as the epitome of “self-sufficiency” which he regarded as “the greatest of all riches.” Over time, I came to equate the freedom bequeathed by self-sufficiency with personal and national independence; and I rationalized that the more independent we become as citizens, the more independent our beloved Saint Lucia will become.
Readers of my age would remember the days when many homes had Singer sewing machines which was used by family members to support main or side jobs as tailors and seamstresses. I remember that time, because as a young boy, I used to help my father to base jackets, hem trousers and put seams in pants, using a heavy iron filled with red-hot charcoal. I still carry this scar on my right forearm where I got burned by one of these irons.
There was also time when many housewives baked cakes for sale. I remember that time because my siblings and I would often fight to eat the excess cake batter in the mixing bowl used by my mother.
I remember a time when nearly every family in Grass Street raised chickens. My brothers and I had the unpleasant task of cleaning out the “kaka poul” from the kaloj poul (fowl cage) before and after school. We would place it in a barrel to be later used as manure in the kitchen garden. Indeed, there was a time when many backyards had kitchen gardens. I remember this because as a boy it was my job to sprinkle salt on the “vyan san zo” that attacked the lettuce.
My father supplemented his earnings as a court interpreter fixing the gasifiers of kerosene stoves. He had taught himself that rare skill. In addition to helping him to provide for his family, he got a huge kick from helping his clients to put cooked food on their tables.
Our parents realized the only way they could survive amidst stifling unemployment and under-employment was by taking their future in their hands and arming themselves with as many skills as possible. That common-sense strategy is now referred to as “building resilience.”
In all societies, unemployment is one of the most obvious and urgent indicators of vulnerability. Without a job, individuals often face not only financial instability but also immense social and psychological distress, as the lack of a stable income undermines their ability to meet their basic needs. In countries like ours with weak social safety nets, this often results in deepening poverty, social exclusion, and long-term dependence on public assistance.
Current global events vividly demonstrate that employment alone offers only temporary relief from economic hardship and does not guarantee long-term resilience. Rather, it is the possession of skills that are in demand across various sectors and that are adaptable to changing economic conditions, that truly empowers individuals to thrive in a dynamic labor market where entire job categories are being wiped out by automation and artificial intelligence. Moreover, even those who are employed are losing their benefits, job security, and/or pathways for career advancement.
Hence, having one or more marketable skill that is relevant, portable and adaptable will enable our citizens to navigate shifts in the labor market and in the economy, as these can be applied in multiple contexts and industries, and be updated as needed.
I regard the CVQ as the best thing since sliced bread, certainly since the City and Guild qualifications of decades past. Workers with CVQ-related skills are better able to respond to layoffs, pursue better opportunities, and start their own businesses. Moreover, they have greater freedom to make choices about when and how to spend, save or invest their earnings.
Initiatives such as the HCRP, the Youth Economy Agency (YEA), the Centre for Adolescent Rehabilitation and Education (CARE) and the National Skills Development Centre (NSDC) are taking us back to our roots and to a time when we fended for ourselves and for our families. These programmes are not just about skills development. They’re about empowering people and creating new paths where old ones may have crumbled. For this reason, I believe it’s impossible for Saint Lucia to ever have enough of these programmes that facilitate lifelong learning and vocational training. It’s been clear for some time that programmes that focus solely on boosting employment rates without addressing the quality and sustainability of the jobs being generated risk creating underlying fragilities in the workforce.
As our economy evolves, robust systems must be put in place to help workers re-skill and transition into new roles. A national strategy is needed to sustain investment in human capital development. This represents not merely sound economic strategy but also a commitment to building a more resilient economy and society.
To truly safeguard our citizens against economic uncertainty, we must prioritize the development and maintenance of marketable skills, thus ensuring not only employment but also empowerment.