Government Agencies in Trinidad and Tobago

As part of its development plan, Vision 2020, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago maintains multiple education initiatives that aim to establish education as the foundation of the country’s development. The Ministry of Education is responsible for the education and training of all the country’s citizens, and its National Apprenticeship Programme (NAP) provides structured apprenticeships in the private and public sectors. The Ministry of Education, through its Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) programme, aspires to give experienced workers with no formal education the opportunity to obtain certification based on skills acquired on the job. The Ministry of Social Development is also involved in education initiatives and has established multi-purpose community-based telecentres that offer free access to computing facilities, training programmes and the internet.

Since 2006 the government has paid tuition fees for Trinidad and Tobago citizens on courses at tertiary institutions locally or in other CARICOM countries (50% of fees for postgraduate programmes). The programme is aimed at increasing the gross tertiary enrolment ratio to 60% by 2015.