SkYE Programme - Case study of SkYE's support to DTVETC: Dominica

SkYE Talk: Issues Unpacked Case Study of SkYE’s Support to DTVETC: DOMINICA Issue 03

Who pays if we don’t invest? An examination of the value for money of investing in the Dominica Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council.

In this issue of SkYE Talk, we reflect on lessons learned through the SKYE programme support to the Dominica Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council (DTVETC), its impact on training providers and instructors, and therefore on capacity in the broader Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system. We argue that SkYE’s investment in a highly skilled technical adviser, embedded within the national TVET apex body generated excellent value for money for SkYE. This is through the improvements that the DTVETC could leverage across the TVET system because of its mandate for national certification. The case study reports that at least one public TVET provider in Dominica is already delivering training to standards demanded by the Caribbean Association of National Training Authorities (CANTA), and three others are engaged in continuous quality improvements. The investment made in the DTVETC has strengthened the institution’s readiness to award National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) through processes built with support from SkYE. However – and whilst we recognize fully that national governments make difficult choices in the allocation of scarce resources – based on the lessons learned through this case study, we advocate for the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica’s sustained investment in the operational and governance capacity of the DTVETC. This will greatly enhance the employment prospects for youth in Dominica.

Without system capacity to award Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQs), our employer survey indicates that TVET graduates in Dominica are more likely to be excluded from work opportunities in the region, and at home.

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The TVET qualification system in Dominica

Dominica benefits from well-established public providers that deliver vocational training leading to nationally recognized certificates awarded by the Ministries of Education and Youth. The Youth Development Division (YDD)1 and Adult Education Division (AED) offer a range of courses, including skills (such as digital skills) that are in demand from regional and global labour markets. There are also a small number of not-for-profit organizations that offer training for young people with disabilities, and young people in disadvantaged communities that award certificates that are not widely known. There are very few private training providers in Dominica.

The Dominican TVET system is making slow progress towards integration within the regional qualifications system. The Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica established the DTVETC under the Education Act of 1997 and inaugurated the first Council in 2010. Although a CEO has been appointed, the Council is yet to be resourced with the requisite technical staff, financial resources, and legal authority to fully undertake its mandate. Like other National Training Authorities (NTAs) in the region, the DTVETC operates within procedures and standards set by the Caribbean National Training Authority (CANTA). Without the required financial and human resource capacity, the DTVETC is unable to: • Provide external quality assurance and certification for courses delivered by local training providers that [wish to] target the CVQ • Provide Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) of competencies gained by skilled workers seeking certification • Provide on-going services for quality improvement, including managing new and emerging skills needs As SkYE aimed to strengthen TVET system capacity for quality assurance and certification, the programme provided embedded support to these functions.

1 The Youth Development Division has operated within the Ministry of Youth for many years. In 2022, the decision was taken to move YDD to the newly created Ministry of Education, Human Resource Planning, Vocational Training and National Excellence.

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Why does the capacity to award CVQs matter in Dominica?

From a national perspective, the TVET system in Dominica faces few of the kinds of challenge that tend to turn policy-makers towards a qualifications framework. Dominica is a small island state, with a population of about 72,500 and an economy primarily dependent on agriculture, with a growing tourism sector and a small offshore finance sector. The TVET system is small, with training largely provided by public providers that are well known to students and employers alike, and a small number of NGOs that target specific groups of young people.

There are few private providers or even ‘fly-by-nights’ that require regulation. The economy is largely informal and predominantly comprised of micro and small enterprises, which also weakens employer demand for a formally qualified workforce.

AGRICULTURE

Portsmouth

Marigot

North Atlantic Ocean

Saint Joseph

Caribbean Sea

La Plaine

Roseau Berekua

Population

72, 500

TOURISM

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OFFSHORE FINANCE

The case for investing support in the DTVETC arises most powerfully in the context of the Economic Union of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the free movement of OECS nationals, as Dominican youth without CVQs are at risk of exclusion from employment opportunities both at home and in the region. Locally, stakeholders express concern about the social and economic effects of the displacement of Dominican youth by in-migration, and about the freedom that formal contractors have to pay unqualified (but experienced) Dominican employees less than imported regionally-qualified labour. These fears are grounded in reality: in 2023, SkYE’s Employer Survey found that 37% of employers in Dominica recruit employees with formal qualifications such as NVQ and CVQ. Furthermore, 67% of employers with more than 14 employees, recruit based on formal qualifications. These findings suggest that Dominican graduates without formal qualifications (NVQs and CVQs) are placed at a disadvantage within the local labour market, as well as in the region. In a regional labour market, regional qualifications matter - at home, as well as in the region.

37%

67%

of employers in Dominica recruit employees with formal qualifications.

of employers with more than 14 employees, recruit based on formal qualifications.

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SkYE support to the DTVET Council

In all four SkYE countries, the large number of young people funded by SkYE on certificated TVET courses created significantly increased demand for quality assurance and certification services from the NTAs. Therefore, where the NTA agreed additional capacity was needed, SkYE provided funding for one post, for one year. In Dominica, the DTVETC requested funding for the post of Quality Assurance officer, to set up and implement the DTVETC quality assurance mechanisms that would enable DTVETC to offer the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) certification according to CANTA procedures and standards. With sustained government support to the role after the end of SkYE support, it was expected that the DTVETC would be ready to apply to the CANTA for accreditation towards the award of the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ).

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With funding from SkYE, the DTVETC appointed a QA officer (with expertise in the delivery of CVQs) who was based at the DTVET office for a year. The QA officer worked closely with training providers, delivered formal training for instructors, and provided on-site mentoring and coaching to managers, administrators, and instructors. By the end of the year, the DTVETC had made considerable progress.

The Council had:

• Prepared DTVETC’s first Quality Assurance procedures manual • Trained 15 individuals from various industry sectors in CBET Methodology at CVQ level 4 • Trained 10 instructors in the DTVETC’s first cohort in the Assessor & Verifier Training Program, with five achieving the full CVQ unit qualification (awarded by the SSDA in SVG) • Supported the use of Regional Occupational Standards by training providers to plan training and assess trainees’ competence

PREPARE

TRAIN

SUPPORT

• Supported training providers to use more structured approaches to lesson planning and teaching • Supported training providers to implement regular formative and summative assessment of trainees and undertake internal verification of assessments • Supported training providers to improve their systems to collect, record and report assessment results and manage evidence of assessment.

Despite progress in capacity at the operational level, the DTVET Council was unable to award NVQs without the Board in place.

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Impact of more capacity in the DTVET Council on training providers’ systems The impact of improved DTVETC capacity on the TVET system in Dominica became evident through an independent review of Quality Assurance of TVET systems in the Eastern Caribbean that was commissioned by SkYE in 2022. The review examined TVET quality assurance systems in the four SkYE countries2. In reporting on Dominica, the reviewers noted that the ‘the SkYE training providers can be considered to be on a developmental pathway towards delivering NVQs’ (p:43), and that training providers use ‘some aspects of CANTA’s QA Guidelines to monitor the quality of vocational training and assessment’ (p: 45) (Hewitt and Creese, 2022). Indeed, the reviewers judged that ‘the strong CBET training practices observed, and numbers of trained assessors and verifiers available establish the pre-condition and potential for the TVET Council to organise and coordinate special assessment activities for the award of the NVQ’ (p:45).

Later in 2022, based on recommendations by the QA Review, SkYE partnered with the DTVETC to audit the assessment and quality assurance practices being used in all training courses funded by SkYE at four training providers. Using standardised tools based on CANTA procedures, the audit produced detailed information about the state of the QA systems, and confirmed robust procedures and practices implemented by one public provider, and systems in place at the other three. Although evidence captured by systems was not always sufficient to allow for immediate certification, the reviewers considered the systems were sufficiently robust to allow DTVETC to offer a ‘fast-track assessment to certification process’ for SkYE graduates once the DTVETC Board was in place.

2 The Report of the QA Review by Orlando Hewitt and Paul Creese (2022) is available at Report-of-Review-of-QA-in-SkYE-participating-Countries.pdf (skyecaribbean.com).

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What is striking about this finding is the impact that increasing human resource capacity within the NTA (the appointment of one experienced quality assurance officer conversant with CANTA requirements) had on strengthening training provider quality assurance systems. Considerable value was achieved through the excellent co-operation between the DTVETC QA officer and the training providers, who were highly motivated – and are ready - to join the CVQ system.

The pursuit of accredited certification…..necessitated a steep learning curve on the part of all involved in the training – policy makers, administration, planners, instructors, assessors. This circumstance forced the institutions to take a hard self-assessment of what they do and how they do it; it was therefore an eye-opener in some instances to the deficiencies of the training that they were accustomed to delivering, as well as an affirmation of what they were already doing well, in others.

The opportunity therefore paved the way for significant improvements in the content and the way in which training is organized, managed and delivered henceforth.

Embedded QA Officer

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Impact of more capacity in the DTVET Council on instructors Instructors delivering the training courses funded by SkYE experienced first-hand the effect of DTVETC’s increased capacity for quality assurance. For instructors, this was associated with an increased demand for documented evidence of planning, teaching, learning, and assessment, with individual trainee competence highlighted along with the concept of ‘readiness for certification’. Instructors gained much greater awareness of the CVQ and its certification requirements, as well as guidance on administering and documenting training and assessments.

Instructors’ experiences of delivering more robust assessment and quality assurance also provide important insight into cost-implications of delivering NVQs and CVQs. For example, some providers will need to reconsider the current distribution of resources, to fund internal quality assurance visits by staff to remote training sites, and to produce and document evidence of teaching and learning.

Staff, instructors, and participants got a better understanding of portfolio building and its significance and benefits for certification.

YDD Staff and Computer Instructors are now trained in Competency Based Education and Training (CBET) following an 8-week training programme in July and August 2020 which was facilitated by the SkYE Consultant. This was part of SkYE’s capacity building strategy to enable YDD to offer NVQ/CVQ

The structure and delivery of programs were improved to a more professional standard, to have a higher level of recording, accountability, and supervision, and the capability to access and use the CVQ occupational standard for the delivery of programs is useful one which will continue to be a guide in the future

Mr John Roach, Chief Youth Development Officer, YDD

Mrs Carol Charles White, Senior Adult Education Officer, AED

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Impact of more capacity in the DTVETC on certification of graduates Following the audit of quality assurance systems and availability of evidence at the four training providers, SkYE continued to fund support to carry out external verification of assessments submitted to the DTVETC, with a view to certification. In early 2023, the consultant QA officer prepared a Manual for instructors, ran a training workshop, and delivered on-site coaching to instructors at the four training providers, on how to complete internal verification (moderation) of assessments and prepare submissions for external verification/certification to the NTA. Unfortunately, this support took place shortly after the general election, at the same time as restructuring of the Ministries of Education and Youth which meant that the DTVET Board was not yet in place. Without a Board and necessary governance, the DTVETC cannot award certificates. It made no sense for instructors to prepare submissions to an organisation without the necessary capacity to make formal awards. Thus, despite the efforts of training providers, instructors and DTVETC to align with CANTA, SkYE graduates in Dominica did not receive an NVQ or CVQ during the programme’s lifetime. They did, of course, achieve the nationally recognised certificates already awarded by the public sector providers, and the institutional certificates awarded by the non-state providers. In contrast to the positive impact that the DTVETC’s greater operational capacity was able to deliver for training providers and instructors, this could not translate into capacity to recommend the award of certificates. In the same way that certification is designed to have a back-wash effect on quality, a lack in certification can act as a limiting factor on quality improvements.

YDD is still unable to deliver NVQ/CVQ due to capacity issues with the Dominica TVET Council. YDD intends to work closely with the Dominica TVET Council to gain the capacity to adequately prepare trainees for certification with the NVQ and eventually the CVQ.

Mr. John Roach, Chief Youth Development Officer, YDD

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Conclusions This study has presented five important findings regarding TVET system capacity in Dominica that make the case for continued investment in the DTVETC, and for the re-appointment of its governance structure: • Awareness and appreciation for the regional qualification (CVQs) is growing amongst employers in Dominica, with many now expressing a preference for formal, recognised qualifications at recruitment, and some setting differentiated pay scales.

• The largest public training provider is already able to demonstrate that it is delivering training to standards required by CANTA, and three other key providers are ‘on the developmental pathway’.

• Investment in expert capacity at the operational level within the DTVET Council has delivered excellent value for money by strengthening quality assurance systems in line with CANTA guidelines across multiple providers.

• Instructors have improved awareness and experience in assessment and record-keeping requirements of accredited training.

• The failure to appoint a Board that has the legitimacy to approve the day-to-day work of the Council through the decision to award national certificates, acts as a significant brake on training providers’ capacity to complete the steps required for certification, namely internal verification of assessments, and submission to the DTVET Council.

We are confident that public providers in Dominica will continue to deliver good quality training even if not part of the regional qualifications framework, and whilst we are concerned that the exclusion of Dominican training providers from regional qualifications is likely to undermine further strengthening of good practice in assessment and record-keeping, it is the exclusion of Dominican graduates from work opportunities that are available to those with certification that seems to be a very high price to pay.

The Ministry of Education's appointment of the Board for the DTVET Council will encourage training providers to remain dedicated to their development plans, gather evidence, and nominate candidates for certification. This decision will also establish a supportive environment for the DTVETC to form expert committees responsible for practical tasks such as reviewing certifications and making recommendations.

Ensuring that graduates of training programs in Dominica can gain the regional qualifications needed to compete favourably in the regional and national labour markets and to ensure they not only get jobs but are paid on a par with regionally qualified peers, is of utmost importance.

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The Skills for Youth Employment (SkYE) Programme in the Caribbean is a 5-year programme funded by UK aid which aims to develop a more productive, better trained and inclusive workforce across four countries- St Vincent & the Grenadines, St Lucia, Dominica and Grenada. The objective of the programme is to develop relevant market skills among young people (aged 15-30) in the Eastern Caribbean to promote greater youth employment, greater productivity and greater inclusiveness in the labour market, including better training and employment access for disadvantaged youth and people with disabilities. The programme aims to improve the quality, reach and sustainability of technical and vocational education and training in the four focus countries.