At a pivotal moment in the nation’s energy transition, Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training, Professor Prakash Persad, has called on engineers to bridge the gap between education, industry, and community, ensuring Trinidad and Tobago is prepared for a more sustainable and resilient future.
Speaking at the second instalment of the technical conference hosted by the Association of Professional Engineers of Trinidad and Tobago (APETT) at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad on Tuesday, Minister Persad emphasised the urgent need for education reform and sustainable energy pathways toward national development, noting that a push to integrate vocational training with academic programmes is crucial in preparing future engineers.
“We’re trying to set up a technical stream that people can go right up. You know, you go through the technical, you can attend university and arrive at university going through traditional academic track, or you can do the TVET track.”
The Minister noted that technical training and tertiary education would no longer be treated as separate paths.
“Some of the most highly trained manpower are universities, 70% to 80% of the cost of university salaries, are we making the most effective use of our brightest minds? They should solve the problems.”
He added that, moving forward, formal mechanisms will be implemented to connect university research with national problems while calling for policies that foster stronger collaboration between academia, industry, and government.
“We tend to say we work in silos, as the saying goes. But we have to collaborate. UWI and UTT must collaborate at APETT, and the Board of Engineering must work together. So you could have some friendly competition, but also collaboration is important.”
Further discussions will focus on resilience and inclusive infrastructure, alongside energy, environment, and climate resilience.