Grenada has joined Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica as Caricom states able to grant Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQs).
Grenada received approval to grant Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQs) by Caricom Ministers of Education on Friday 24 May 2013, at the 24th Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) Meeting in Georgetown, Guyana. St. Lucia also received approval to grant CVQs at the COHSOD meeting.
Prior to the COHSOD meeting, Grenada’s application for CVQ awarding status had successfully gone through two approval bodies — the Caribbean Association of National Training Agencies (CANTA) and the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (RCM–TVET). As part of the approval process the National Training Agency of Grenada had to undergo a rigorous self-evaluation and external review to ensure it met the Quality Assurance Criteria and Guidelines for Caribbean Vocational Qualifications of March 2009 as established by CANTA.
Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQs) are one of the features in the process towards achieving the free movement of certified skilled workers under the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). It represents the achievement of a set of competencies which define core work practices of an occupational area, consistent with the levels articulated within the regional qualification framework.
To earn an award, candidates must demonstrate competence in reaching Caricom-approved occupational standards developed by industry experts and employers.
In other words, Grenada has now been granted approval to award the Caribbean Vocational Qualification to persons who will pursue Technical and Vocational Education and Training programmes. This means that the Grenada National Training Agency will be able to certify persons in the workforce at all levels on the Regional Qualification Framework andsupport the offering of CVQs within the school system.
The awarding of CVQ granting status to Grenada will also mean that skilled and certified workers will be able to seek available employment opportunities in any other Caricom states where there are available jobs, with less difficulty.
