Workforce Education

1
Workforce Education Development in Jamaica
Tabitha Service, Ph.D. Candidate, Diane Spokus,
Ph.D. Candidate
The Department of Learning Performance Systems,
The Pennsylvania State University
Physical Environment
Formal Private Sector
Economic Development

• Economic Development
• Jamaican economy heavily dependent on services,
  70 of GDP
• In 1980s Jamaican economy primarily agricultural
• Foreign exchange from tourism, remittances,
  bauxite/alumina
• 911 Terrorist attacks in the U.S. stunted
  economic growth
• 2003 rebound of tourism
• Informal Private Sector
• 48 of labor force
• Agriculture or community, social and personal
  services
• Subsistence farmers, street vendors, household
  helpers, informal importers, hairdressers,
  dressmakers, gardeners, etc.

• Goods Producing
• Mining
• Agriculture
• Manufacturing
• Construction
• Services
• Other-Transport, communication, distributive
  trade and financial services
• Represented by the Private Sector Organization of
  Jamaica (PSOJ)

• Geography
• 143 miles long, 51 miles wide, 4,244 square miles
• 555 miles of coastline
• 3 counties, 14 parishes
• Average temperature 80 degrees
• Independent since 1962
• Cities
• CapitalKingston metro area (pop. 628,000)
• Other large citiesMontego Bay (96,500)
• Spanish Town (122,700)

Government

• Parliamentary system of government patterned
  after Great Britain Prime Minister
• Human Capital
• Population 2.6 million (July 2001)
• Since 1990s there has been a significant increase
  in the output of trained personnel from Jamaicas
  training and education institution
• Shows 315 increase in skilled semi-skilled
  manpower
• 135 increase in technical, managerial and
  related manpower
• 17 of Jamaica unemployed received training an
  increase from earlier years
• NATIONAL TRAINING AGENCY
• Trains approximately 50,000 people annually
• School Leavers Training Opportunities Programme
  (S.L.T.O.P.s)
• Womens Constructive Collective

Civilian Labor Force

• Stable population (2000) 2.65 million with
  annual growth rate (2000) 0.6
• April of 2005 labor force comprised of 1,193,300
  individuals or 36 of the population
• Unemployment rate is 12.2
• Workforce Agriculture 21, Industry 19,
  Services 60 (1998)
• Since the 90s higher skills are more in demand
  than lower skills and unskilled
• Flight of Human Capital in ages gt25
• Immigration
• Historically, Jamaican emigration has been heavy.
  Since 1967, about 20,000 Jamaicans migrate to
  the United States each year another 200,000
  visit annually. At present there are
  approximately 478,000 Jamaicans living in U.S.
• Relaxed immigration policies in U.S. the labor
  demand
• There are an estimated 2.5 Jamaicans living in
  other countries
• New York, Miami, Chicago, and Hartford are among
  the U.S. Cities with a significant Jamaican
  population.
• Remittances from expatriate communities in the
  U.S., United Kingdom, and Canada, estimated at up
  to 800 million per year, make increasingly
  significant contributions to Jamaicas economy.
• Emigration
• 28 or 715,000 persons are between age 15 29
• Rapid decline in population after age 25
  alternatively a large population of expatriots gt
  age 60 migrate back to Jamaica after years abroad

Problems in the Formal Economy

• Economy faces serious long-term problems
• high interest rates increased foreign
  competition
• pressurized, sliding exchange rate sizable
  merchandise trade deficit
• large-scale unemployment, internal debt

Social Capital

• Poverty
• Jamaica is characterized as a middle-income
  country
• Per capita GDP is U.S. 1,293/yr.
• Total expenditure among poorest quintile is JA
  10,510 (U.S. 314)
• Second poorest quintile is JA 17,480 (U.S. 522)
• Median income is JA 34,975 (U.S. 1,049)
• Social
• Disruption is characterized by high level of
  violence, industrialization disputes and civil
  disturbances
• In 90s increase in white-collar crime in
  financial institutions custom regulations
• In economic terms the high crime rate is
  deterrent to high investment

Education

• Inherited a British educational model
• Different types of schools aimed at different
  segments of population
• Types of Schools
• All age schools basic education provided for
  children up to age 15
• Primary schools up to age 12
• Secondary schools (remedial and vocational
  education)
• Traditional High School
• Comprehensive high schools and technical high
  school
• Prep schools account for only 4
• 3 universities, 7 teacher colleges, 6 community
  colleges
• Common entrance examination offered at grade 5
• HEART/NTA is the government body responsible for
  the vocational training system in Jamaica