The Government of Belize has stated that very shortly it will be looking at the training call centre employees to feed a fast-growing business processing outsourcing industry. But G.O.B. is also looking at training at another level – high level skills training and graduate programs to meet the needs of the nation’s largest industries. The idea is to create a technical institute which will provide highly specialized training in areas like electrical engineering. It’s a concept which Minister of Energy, Joy Grant, is passionate about.
Senator Joy Grant, Minister of Energy & Petroleum
“We knew that this institute had to be of the highest level. It also meant that we needed a very clear research component. In the new economy everything that you do has to be evidence-based…no longer do you go into anything without looking at the evidence, looking at the statistics and then making a decision. So we knew that it would have to be research based and that meant that we would have to partner with organizations locally but also organizations abroad. We also knew that for us to leapfrog into this new economy that we needed to be competitive and to be competitive even in existing businesses and industries this could more easily be done if you embrace the new technology. So we know that that is something which is necessary but is also going to help us in the public service. We again know that to be competitive we need to have the people trained so that when the new industries and new investors come they would be able to get the personnel that they need to go forward. We don’t have graduate programs in the stem disciplines right now and I have spoken to UB and the other university and other institutions and they are fully supporting this concept. We cannot and would not do it without the Ministry of Education and the people at UB and the idea is to even put the building on the campus right now for UB so that there is a seamless working between these institutions.”
There are meetings planned with stakeholders, both local and foreign, to determine where the needs are in Belize. The programs at the conceptualized institute would then fit the needs of the industries.
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