The National Training Agency (NTA) in Trinidad and Tobago is responsible for the coordination and regulation of the national Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system. In June 2019, the NTA was accepted as a member of the UNEVOC Network and as such, the NTA is now an approved UNEVOC Centre, the first of its kind in Trinidad and Tobago.
The three strategic objectives of the UNEVOC Network are:
to improve TVET in Member States by promoting and fostering international collaboration and partnerships and cooperation among TVET practitioners, civil society, local communities, researchers and policymakers,
to develop the capacities of UNEVOC Centres and associated TVET practitioners by providing various forms of technical assistance, and
to share promising practices and innovations in TVET, through the promotion of research and practice-based evidence.
The UNEVOC Network (coordinated by the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre) consists of approximately 250 UNEVOC Centres. These Centres serve as focal points for the provision of services and platforms for international and regional cooperation in TVET. The overarching mission of all UNEVOC Centres is to contribute to improving the standards and quality of TVET in their countries. In close cooperation with their national TVET institutions, and with support from the UNEVOC Network, UNEVOC Centres provides an environment for exchange and mutual assistance among TVET officials and policy-makers, academics, teachers and practitioners, TVET experts and stakeholders. The Network is therefore instrumental in the production and dissemination of research, case studies, databases and publications across the globe.
As part of the UNEVOC Network, the NTA is privy to and has access to:
International expertise and mutual assistance for institutional capacity development,
Benchmarks on TVET approaches, initiatives and practices, and
Mutual learning opportunities through the various forms of cooperation, institutional mechanisms and platforms afforded by UNESCO-UNEVOC.
Our Mission
The NTA’s acceptance as a UNEVOC Centre represents an excellent opportunity for the Agency, and by extension, Trinidad and Tobago, to contribute to the global discourse and evolution/ innovation of TVET. More specifically, this UNEVOC Centre status will allow Trinidad and Tobago access to:
Worldwide TVET information, experiences and promising practices,
Opportunities for regional and international partnerships in TVET,
The exposure that will allow the benchmarking of national practices,
Pooled resources for the development of strategies in sync with regional and international bodies, and
Potential funding opportunities.
Overall, the annual action plans, activities and initiatives of the NTA’s UNEVCO Centre will be in alignment with UNESCO-UNEVOC’s three thematic priorities and four programmatic interventions
Dr. Patrice Parris Searles
UNEVOC Centre Coordinator
(+1-868) 672-7107/8 Ext. 1327
(+1-868) 757-3277
Chaguanas, 501345 | Trinidad & Tobago, W.I.