More than 2,800 Guyanese students are set to leave secondary school this year with industry-oriented vocational qualifications, as the Ministry of Education expands its focus on practical skills and technical education.
A total of 2,813 students are expected to receive Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) certification in 2026, Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussain announced during Tuesday’s release of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) results.
Although the Ministry is still awaiting the official CVQ results from the Caribbean Examinations Council, Hussain said the 2,813 students are expected to receive certification in a range of practical disciplines.
The CVQ is designed to recognize students’ competence in practical and vocational areas, giving them skills that can be applied directly in the workplace while also providing opportunities for further technical education.
“This is something where our students put aside the theoretical for the practical,” Hussain explained.
Among the areas in which students are being trained are agro-food processing, aquaculture, business and administration, commercial food preparation, cricket pitch management, crop production, data operations, electrical installation, fabric design, garment making, general construction, general office administration, housekeeping, inland aquaculture, metalwork engineering, motor vehicle repairs and welding.
Hussain said the qualification means students completing secondary school can pursue further training while also having practical skills that can allow them to enter the workforce.
The Ministry of Education has been placing increased emphasis on technical and vocational education and training (TVET), with Education Minister Sonia Parag reiterating that the system must move beyond textbook-based instruction and focus more deliberately on practical competencies.
“We are not running a talk shop at TVET,” Parag said, stressing that students must be given opportunities to make, create, build and produce.
She pointed to recent examples of students developing and packaging products, including hair oil, karela achar and banana ketchup, as evidence of the direction in which the Ministry wants TVET education to move.
The Minister said the Government’s approach is intended to give young people the competence, confidence and opportunity to participate meaningfully in Guyana’s changing economy.
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