Claudiana Cole was speaking last Friday in Bakau during the graduation of the first cohort of students at Ida’s Idea Fashion and Design Institute.
“At the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, we talk about the promotion of TVET, and when we talk about the promotion of TVET, that means skills and vocational training. In our policy and in the current education policy, we have it that we are going to be promoting TVET.”
Minister Cole reminded that basic and secondary education is the foundation and the beginning on which all the others would stand on.
“So even at that level, we are talking about promoting TVET, technical and vocational education; and when we talk about technical and vocational education, all we are talking about is skills training. We want to train people to have skills, particularly the young people of today.”
She indicated that they have realised that many people with skills in The Gambia are not citizens and that most of these highly skilled persons currently in the labour force come from other countries.
“And they are providing skills to us in these countries in many different fields. So, what about our own young people.”
She argued that not all the young people from classrooms would be able to sit in offices, nor can they all be admitted into the university.
“Therefore, I want to encourage the youth to acquire skills to complement those people from the university with their expertise and knowledge.”
