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| Executive Director of the TVET Council, Henderson Eastmond, presenting an award to??CEO/Managing Director of Caves of Barbados Ltd, Joe-Ann Grant (TVET Council) |
From a cadre of 10 finalists, congratulations were bestowed upon the five employers who emerged victorious in the inaugural Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council’s (TVET) Employers Recognition Awards competition.
At the awards ceremony yesterday, held at the Accra Beach Hotel and Spa, Executive Director of the TVET Council, Henderson Eastmond, said that the competition, which was open to small and medium-sized companies, was staged as an effort to "increase the amount and quality of technical and vocational education and training, also referred to as workforce training, currently provided by employers in Barbados."
Mr. Eastmond explained that businesses involved in agriculture, manufacturing and construction were placed in the broad category of the Productive Sector, while organisations providing tourism, hospitality or personal services as well as those in cultural industries fell under the Services Sector category.
"This inaugural awards programme, recognises and celebrates employers who invest in technical and vocational education and training, for employees as well as for young persons in the 19 to 35 age range through the provision of job attachments and other on-the-job training opportunities," he explained.
Noting that there were five main award categories, the Executive Director told the finalists regardless of their placement in the competition, "we anticipate that the benefits of participating in the TVET Employers Recognition Awards will contribute to the further development of your organisations."
He emphasised that the competition and the awards ceremony were the first step in "the roll out of a process aimed at strengthening the national TVET system" and reiterated that the companies involved had all enhanced their reputations.
Mr. Eastmond further pointed out that benefits also included, "national recognition of your companies, as representing best practice in Human Resource Development (HRD, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, NULL, NULL, 0); the opportunity to benchmark your HRD practices against other employers engaged in training and development best practises, as well as an enhanced understanding and recognition of the importance of training."
Thanking all the competitors, the TVET Executive Director told the employers, "Let this be your first step to taking your organisations’ training and development programmes as well as Barbados’ education and training system in a direction in which we are all satisfied and justly proud."
Explorer Management Services Inc. won the top spot in the Services Sector Small category; The Travel House Inc. was the only other finalist in this section.
In the Services Sector Medium category, Caves of Barbados Inc. emerged the winner from amongst competitors, Island Villas Ltd. and Butterfly Beach Resort.
In the Productive Sector Small category, Asphalt Processors Inc. was victorious, beating its only other section competitor, Atlantis Seafood Inc.; while Simmons Electrical Co. Ltd nabbed first place in the Productive Sector Medium category over Nature Care.
Bistro Monet, an intimate south coast restaurant, captured the TVET Employers Recognition Special Award for Investment in Youth Development.?? This category sought to reward businesses which paid special attention to job attachments and on-the-job training.?? Other finalists in that category were, Atlantis Seafood Inc., Asphalt Processors Inc., and Simmons Electrical Co. Ltd.??