'TVET, is not a Plan B, it is our Plan A'- Hon Sharie B. de Castro
The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports is observing TVET Week 2026 under the theme ‘TVET: The Future of the VI – Together we learn! Together we earn!’, and will highlight the value of skills-based learning and its role in building a resilient, self-sufficient Virgin Islands (VI).
Hon de Castro, in her remarks to officially mark the beginning of TVET Week on May 11, 2026, described the theme as both a promise and a call to action.
VI’s Plan A
“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.”
Through TVET, it is ensured that students are not just reading about innovation but are building it, she added.
“Whether it’s sustainable energy, cosmetology, marine technology, or the culinary arts, we are providing the high-tech, high-touch skills that the 21st-century economy demands. But learning is only part of it.”
TVET investment ensures VI’s wealth remains in our hands
Hon de Castro opined that the second part of this year’s theme, ‘Together We Earn’, is a commitment to economic empowerment.
“By investing in TVET, we are ensuring that the wealth of our territory stays in the hands of our people. We are creating a workforce that doesn't just look for jobs, but creates them.”
A VI is being built where all the youth have the certifications and the confidence to compete and win on the global stage, she said, and encouraged students by telling them they are the architects of the VI’s future.
“Your hands and your minds will build the infrastructure and the industries of tomorrow.”
To industry partners, she said, their collaboration is the engine of this movement. “By teaching together, we ensure prosperity for all. To the people of the Virgin Islands, the future of our territory is skilled, it is capable, and it is bright.”
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