The nation’s main technical college has marked its 55th anniversary with its principal saying it has come a long way in its journey towards shaking off stereotypes and the perception of it as a simple trade school.
During a commemorative church service and wreath-laying ceremony on Tuesday at St Mary’s Anglican Church, alumni joined faculty members to celebrate the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology’s (SJPI) contributions to Barbadian society since its founding.
Principal Ian Drakes said: “This anniversary represents the length of not only our achievements and success but our resilience as educators in the business of developing the minds of the citizens of Barbados and the Caribbean, as it relates to technical vocation and education.”
He noted that the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes and efforts by the SJPI staff provided by the campus have propelled many of its students into innovative job areas over the years.
This, he said, has helped to transform the impression of the school from being just for people who are good with their hands to a campus that caters to the demands of a modern, well-rounded student.
“Gone are the days where students pursuing certification in TVET areas were suited just to repair someone’s work or work on someone else’s dreams,” said Drakes. “Now they are outfitted to make ripples in the world for themselves, to make their own dreams come true.”
Two SJPI alumni were highlighted for their success at home and abroad – the “powerful and talented” Marva White-Jessamy, a former garment technology student, who made her international fashion debut in 2015 at the PLITZS New York City Fashion Week and Rashid Holder, the newly appointed captain of the Atlantis Submarine.
“Let us continue to lay the building blocks necessary to form the foundation of the minds who entrust us with their education needs,” Drakes said. “Let us reflect on where we came from, not to linger and lament, but to learn and grow. Most importantly, let us never lose our vision, will or ability to fight.”
Minister of State in the Ministry of Education Sandra Husbands praised the institute for sterling service over the years.
“It is an important institution in our efforts to provide that inclusive education, providing an open door to success, hitherto closed to so many. I think that the SJPI has over the years successfully lived up to not only Burns’ opinion of vocational education but has also provided the necessary bridge to allow those whose intelligences shift to the whimsical and technical, to have a place and not be left behind or to be written off by society,” she said.
“Not only has the institution successfully done this, but it has also ensured that the country is provided a workforce of some of the best and brightest minds in industry.”
Husbands also praised the SJPI’s work at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Important lifesaving personal protective equipment (PPE) was manufactured at the institute from scratch, for use within the healthcare sector.
“The institution opened its doors in this time of uncertainty and fear, allowing its staff and students to answer its call, creating and distributing precious PPE to ensure these workers who were risking their lives, to make sure that they were available to save others,” she said. “I cannot say enough of the immense pride I feel in what this institution has done in working at a time of such national crisis.”
After the service, several wreaths were laid at the monument of National Hero, the Right Excellent Samuel Jackman Prescod.
SJPI was previously the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic before it was renamed on October 19, 2017.
(SB)
