Leading the way - City & Guilds Centres at the forefront of innovation
A case study focusing on two of City & Guilds leading centres in Trinidad and Tobago
27 March 2015
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City & Guilds centres are renowned for creating innovative skills solutions and our partner organisations in Trinidad and Tobago are no exceptions.
This week, we are sharing the story of two of our leading centres, Kenson School of Production Technology (Kenson) and Trinizuela Technical Vocational College (TTVC), both of whom have been leading the way in working with employers to tackle critical skills gaps within the workforce.
The economy of Trinidad and Tobago heavily depends on the energy and oil and gas sectors and having a well-trained staff can be a make or break for most companies. With the constant pressure on training budgets and the ongoing shortage of skilled workers, employers are increasingly relying on partnerships with high quality training providers to find the right talent for their organisation.
Here is how BP Trinidad and Tobago and Score Valve (Trinidad and Tobago) have gone about to address these challenges by working with two City & Guilds centres: Kenson and TTVC.
Kenson and BP Trinidad and Tobago (bpTT)
Kenson School of Production Technology (Kenson), a City & Guilds approved centre, has teamed up with energy company BP Trinidad and Tobago (bpTT) to provide opportunities for 23 students to acquire certification as oil and gas process technicians.
The one-year course, which started in November 2014, will offer candidates the opportunity to become full-time employees of bpTT upon graduation. As well as training oil and gas technicians, Kenson will also be working with bpTT and several other oil and gas companies operating in Trinidad and Tobago to train the next generation of engineers, using the recently launched City & Guilds level 4 and level 5 engineering qualifications.
Kenson has been an approved City & Guilds centre since 2010. The school delivers a range of qualifications aimed at the oil and gas sector as well as the level 3 IVQ Advanced Diplomas in Teaching, Training and Assessing Learning.
TTVC and Score Valve
Trinizuela Technical Vocational College (TTVC) has partnered with Score Valve (Trinidad and Tobago) to launch the first apprenticeship programme with international certification in the Caribbean.
The programme will provide opportunities for youths between the ages of 17 and 25 years to work towards a City & Guilds mechanical engineering qualification. Students will study the theoretical subjects at TTVC and develop their practical skills at Score Valve where they will earn as they learn.
On successful completion of the City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Engineering (Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering), candidates will progress within the Score Valve organisation for another three years, further developing both their academic and technical skills.
The innovative approach has created a real buzz within the sector and several other energy and oil and gas companies are in discussion with TTVC to explore how they could replicate the Score Valve model for their organisation.