Influencing Students’ Technical Vocational Education and Training Career Path:

A Qualitative Research

Authors

  • Kaydonna Grundall
  • Abede Mack

Keywords:

Antigua and Barbuda, career choice, career guidance, entrepreneurship, parental guidance, secondary school, TVET

Abstract

Technical Vocational Education and Training programmes (TVET) are an important component in developing many countries economically and socially. We studied factors influencing students’ decisions to pursue a TVET-related career path in Antigua and Barbuda. The research was carried out at the Light Path Secondary School using qualitative data, adopting document analysis and interviews with teachers, administrators and parents. Our work found several factors influencing students’ choice of TVET subject. From our study three (3) themes emerged. The first theme was stigma and a lack of adequate resources, which were classified as challenges. Parental guidance and students’ interests were additional factors categorised as influencers. Our last theme, benefits, saw entrepreneurship as a possible mechanism to help students in their career quest. It was concluded that career guidance and TVET courses at the secondary school level are not meeting students’ needs, which negatively impact their interest in pursuing these courses.

Author Biographies

Kaydonna Grundall

holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management (International Business) from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill and a Master of Science in Management (Project Management) from the University of the West Indies, Open Campus. Ms Grundall has a passion for technical vocational education and training (TVET) and the possible benefits it holds in developing Caribbean nationals.

Abede Mack

is a Postdoctoral Fellow at McMaster University, DeGroote School of Business in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He also works as adjunct faculty at the University of the West Indies Open Campus (UWIOC), teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels. His research interests include entrepreneurship and technical vocational education and training (TVET). Dr Mack has been a vocational practitioner for over twenty years and has a passion for the advancement of TVET.

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Published

2023-04-01

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2023): Caribbean Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies

Section

Articles