HC Deb 10 April 1945 vol 409 cc1681-2W
Sir W. Wakefield

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what plans have been made by the Colonial Governments in the British West Indian Islands, British Guiana and British Honduras, to develop vocational training and to extend the teaching to adolescents and adults of tropical agriculture, engineering, carpentry, cabinet-making, watch-repairing, draughtsmanship, painting, etc.

Colonel Stanley

In Jamaica there are one technical school and four practical training centres. The latter give mainly agricultural training but include also training in metalwork and woodwork. The principal of the Jamaica technical school is being released to visit British Honduras to advise on vocational education questions and the development of training there. In British Guiana there are a vocational education school and a practical community centre. In Trinidad vocational education conies under the Board of Industrial Training, but so far only one small school is in operation at San Fernando. In the Bahamas plans have been prepared for a vocational school, possibly in conjunction with the present Government High School. The importance of this question is fully appreciated by the Colonial Governments, and I trust that further developments will be possible when those Governments have at their disposal the advice of the Vocational Education Assistant who is about to be appointed to the staff of the Comptroller for Development and Welfare in the West Indies.