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'Our young people are feeling marginalised'- Dr Arlene L. Smith-Thompson

- said 'education industry gap persists as TVET Council remains non-functional'
Despite offering a range of skilled subjects in schools, the Territory has seen a gap between education and industry needs because the TVET Council has not been functioning for over two decades. Photo: VINO/File
Dr Arlene L. Smith-Thompson is an educator, administrator, and TVET advocate. Photo: Facebook
Dr Arlene L. Smith-Thompson is an educator, administrator, and TVET advocate. Photo: Facebook
Dr Arlene L. Smith-Thompson, 2nd from right, argues that the TVET Council, which is provided for in the Territory’s education legislation, is meant to act as a bridge between the private sector and the education system by identifying ground-level skills needs and directing training accordingly. Photo: VINO/File
Dr Arlene L. Smith-Thompson, 2nd from right, argues that the TVET Council, which is provided for in the Territory’s education legislation, is meant to act as a bridge between the private sector and the education system by identifying ground-level skills needs and directing training accordingly. Photo: VINO/File
BAUGHERS BAY, Tortola, VI— Despite offering a range of skilled subjects in schools, the Territory has seen a gap between education and industry needs because the TVET Council has not been functioning for over two decades.

Dr Arlene L. Smith-Thompson made these comments while speaking on the Talking Points programme on ZBVI 780 AM on Monday, July 27, 2026. 

She said, “Even though we were offering these different skilled subjects in schools, I don't think it was taken seriously, and so certain gaps were developing, and it's still developing between industry and education.” 

Skills mismatch and non-functioning TVET Council

Dr Smith-Thompson argues that the TVET Council, which is provided for in the Territory’s education legislation, is meant to act as a bridge between the private sector and the education system by identifying ground-level skills needs and directing training accordingly.

However, she said the body has not been functioning at that level for more than 20 years. 

“So, you find that then there might be gaps because what is taught in school when they get their certifications, and they come out, it's not supportive in the job market. So therein lies some of the challenges we have, and so you have a problem where you have a lot of persons coming into the territory now, with the skills, and then our young people are feeling marginalised,” Dr Smith-Thompson added.

Call for harmonisation with industry

According to the TVET advocate, harmonisation is needed to align what is taught in schools with what employers actually need. “What better way to do that than to involve industries?”

The current result, she warns, is that many young people feel “marginalised” as they enter a labour market where their qualifications are not fully supported by demand, while at the same time the Territory sees an influx of persons coming in with skills.

Go’vt sees TVET as Plan A for the VI

In recent times, the government has placed focus on TVET. According to a previous article by Our New Centre, the Education Minister, Honourable Sharie B. de Castro (AL), described Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as the future of the Virgin Islands.

The Education Minister further stated that, “TVET is not a Plan B. It is our Plan A for a resilient, self-sufficient Virgin Islands. When we say together we learn, we are talking about a new era of partnership. We are bridging the gap between the classroom and the job site.”

9 Responses to “'Our young people are feeling marginalised'- Dr Arlene L. Smith-Thompson”

  • Herbs Powa (29/07/2026, 18:37) Like (17) Dislike (1) Reply
    Jamaica get 2.4 million out of our treasury free, and we have to pay to enter the festival village to celebrate our freedom.
  • Don't worry (29/07/2026, 19:39) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    It's not just young people!! And not taking it seriously is a feature not a bug; how else would people accept the current state of things!
  • ok (29/07/2026, 19:49) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    A work ethic helps and swallowing pride..in the early days
  • jack (29/07/2026, 21:54) Like (2) Dislike (2) Reply
    She is on top of things
  • CSC (30/07/2026, 02:30) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    Young people now for political capital, but when you get in, you forget about them.
  • Raw, unfiltered and Unvarnished (30/07/2026, 05:37) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    Hear dis ya! Houston, we have a problem; Road Town, we have a problem. Ok. If the education system is training skills that industry needs but still locals are feeling marginalized? What is the problem? Is the education system not training and educating on the right skills? There is a disconnect between education and training and what the workforce need? If locals are being trained and qualified yet people are being imported to fill jobs? Is Labor and Inmigration not doing its job? Is it an income statement issue, ie, expats are motivated to work for a lower rate? Employers are more inclined to lower expenses to maximize profits by not hiring locals? Should qualified locals not have preferential hiring? Should locals realized they are in competition for their jobs and shoukd be as productive as possible and practical? Should Labor and Immigration get engage to ensure that job qualifications are commensurate with job requirements? Should Labor and Immigration be on the look out for employers trying to exclude locals by hyping quals beyond what is needed. Should issuing work permits be driven by workforce shortages? As the Caymans say, if you don’t want to hire qualified Caymans, don’t come to the Cayman Islands.
    • RealPol (30/07/2026, 11:31) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
      Raw, Unvarnished, etc,, you keeping it real. No spin. Real talk. Immigration and Labor, Department of Education , Workforce Development, etc,,your turn.
  • THE YOUTHS DEM (30/07/2026, 07:49) Like (0) Dislike (2) Reply
    Is getting hooked on cocaine unintentionally and are being used by drug dealers to keep it flowing and so they live in their fast & furious wannabe gansters mentality mode and are not seeing what it is doing to them or other people or the territory so its an up hill battle to get them off the white lady , because its all around us and disguised in just about everything on the market now by the time we do hear about its already been consumed daily and some of us had already either eaten / drank or smoked it and not realized it because of how its been manufactured and distributed and by whom ( the cartels who were introduced to us are behind a lot of it ) school children are the new targets for the transportation of their products within the territory using - scooters and other small rentals like the famous Kia so its all about the fast & easy money that can be made in a single drop off - and then they will be flexing off with their bling bling ( do you think they are gonna be interesting in putting 8 hours work and tekkin orders or instructions from anybody daily , when they can make more money in one delivery in a couple ah hours - think about it .
  • asking for a friend (30/07/2026, 08:14) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
    What is she doing about it?


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