$1.9 Million to Rehabilitate ITVET

For many young Belizeans who do not follow the traditional high school path, the Institute for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ITVET) offers an alternative path. It is one that builds skilled professionals for the workforce.

That opportunity is now getting a major boost.

Minister of Education, Science & Technology, Oscar Requena, has announced a $1.9 million rehabilitation project for a building in the ITVET campus in Belize City, funded through a partnership between the Inter-American Development Bank and the Ministry of Education.

“This is certainly a joint partnership between the Inter-American Development Bank and the Ministry of Education,” he said. “The building is going to be completely rehabilitated and equipped with two laboratories.”

The upgrades will include a new GIS laboratory and an engineering lab, both designed to prepare students for work in the growing blue and green economy. Requena said the project will also help attract more young people, especially women, to technical and vocational training.

“We are very excited and hoping that once completed, we are going to be able to cater to those areas of national development that are essential for us, and we hope to be able to motivate and attract more students to come to the institutions,” Requena said.

He added that the government is working closely with the Millennium Challenge Corporation to strengthen infrastructure and equipment across ITVET institutions. “Part of their commitment is to work along with us, the Ministry of Education, to ensure that we can certainly improve the delivery of IT vet education across this country. And part of that is also looking at infrastructure and equipment,” Requena said.