Browsing by Author "Advance Regional Workforce Development Program"

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    The Study of Barriers to Access and Completion of Tertiary Technical Education in Jamaica
    (United States Agency for International Development (USAID), 2019) Advance Regional Workforce Development Program; FHI 360 Jamaica team
    The Study of Barriers to Access and Completion (SBAC) in Jamaica employed three interconnected perspectives— student, community, and gender—to investigate the barriers that prevent disadvantaged Jamaican youth from accessing and completing tertiary technical education. The study identified barriers by studying youth at four discrete stages throughout their education and work lives: (1) students that are currently studying at the secondary level, (2) students that ended their education after completing secondary education, (3) students that are studying or have completed non-university-level technical education programs, and (5) students that are studying or have completed university-level technical education programs. This report is structured as follows. Section one provides an introduction of the Advance Program, the study at hand, and the context within which disadvantaged Jamaican youth live and attend school. This section also offers an overview of the methodology, target population, and target geography that were identified for this study. Section two provides a detailed explanation of this study’s key findings—barriers from the individual, community and gender perspectives—and a discussion on significant barriers that impede students from accessing and completing tertiary technical education in Jamaica. This analysis is conducted by comparing differences in key variables of interest between the cohort of students who pursued tertiary technical education, and the two cohorts of students who have completed secondary school, but either subsequently ended their education or pursued non-university level technical education. To complement this analysis, Section three provides an examination of the situation facing current high school students in Jamaica to shine light on key barriers that may impact their ability or willingness to pursue tertiary technical education. Finally, Section four closes the report with a discussion on the key conclusions and recommendations that can be drawn from the findings of this study. This report presents a picture of the environments, opportunities, challenges, and complex incentives structures that Jamaican youth face each day. The barriers highlighted in this study shape the lives of disadvantaged youth and impact their willingness and ability to access and complete tertiary technical education. The following provides an overview of key barriers investigated by this study.