By Makeida Antonio
One of the country’s main tertiary institutions is inviting residents to take advantage of an opportunity to receive technical training in several areas outside of traditional academia.
The Antigua State College (ASC) recently announced that it will be accepting applications for short courses that will expose interested persons to vocational studies that were not previously offered in most schools across Antigua and Barbuda.
Head of Training and Development at ASC, Dwayne Simon, believes that development of technical skills has been neglected by the education system and this effort will strengthen the ability of professionals in navigating the current socioeconomic climate.
“It’s something that we’ve overlooked as a society in terms of downplaying technical skills, vocational skills, and so we are trying to fill those gaps and to expose persons to an introduction to these particular areas,” Simon said on Observer AM yesterday.
Additionally, the educator suggested that the short courses could assist in the quality of professionals produced by the country, which could help people to become more competitive in the global marketplace.
“We want to find a way to develop the skillset across Antigua and Barbuda and even further afield that can allow people to become professionals and to generate a source of income and take care of their families by recognising that if you have a skill, it can be very valuable,” Simon added.
The training programmes, including photography, graphic design, coding, principles of wealth, and website development, are scheduled to run for five weeks from February 28 to April 2.
All persons who have access to a computer or a similar device are welcome to register for these virtual short courses. However, students who attend government-run schools and professionals hired by the public sector will be granted an 80 percent special discount on the $200 course fee.
Participants will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course.
More information can be accessed via the website – asc.edu.ag, by calling 462-1434 or by emailing [email protected].