The HEART/NSTA Trust has strengthened its capacity to meet the needs of the industry by opening six Centres of Excellence (COEs) along with supporting Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) laboratories in 2023/2024. 

Dwayne Bent, director for training infrastructure development at the HEART/NSTA Trust, posits that the development of the facilities is in keeping with the agency’s strategic plans to revolutionise skills training and strengthen the Jamaican environment, making it favourable for investment and productivity.

A COE has been established at the Derrick Rochester campus in St Elizabeth, focusing on manufacturing, engineering, and technology, with six labs including autonomous aerial robotics, geomatics, optoelectronics, mechatronics, and 3-D printing.

At the HEART College of Innovation and Technology (HCIT) in Montego Bay, a COE has also been established along with STEAM labs in digital animation, cybersecurity, autonomous mobile robotics, aerial robotics, 3-D printing and mobile application development.

The National Tools and Engineering Institute (NTEI) in Kingston was also strengthened through a Centre of Excellence.

 “Last month (March), we launched a number of labs at [NTEI] focused heavily on mechanical engineering computer-aided design (CAD). This, of course, is a well-needed skill by industries to facilitate designs, drawings and the reverse engineering technology that is now permeating the industry for efficiency and productivity,” Bent explained.

Bent said that the mechanical engineering lab at the facility was strengthened by introducing computer numerical control (CNC) turning and milling, which he noted is in high demand.

STEAM labs have been established at HEART College of Hospitality Services, HEART College of Construction Services, and Ebony Park Academy to support Centres of Excellence.

“It will strengthen research and development in agriculture and most importantly, precision agriculture, to facilitate all those climate-resilient applications that the country and the world are now embarking on. It will also facilitate our sustainability in food and agriculture,” he noted.

 Looking ahead, the director for Training Infrastructure Development reported that plans are in place to build other labs across the island. 

“Every activity, every duty, every task that can be repeated, can be automated, and that will strengthen the capability for productivity and output and increase efficiency and yields,” he said

Further, he shared that over the next three years, the focus will be on upgrading their motor-vehicle labs to deal with hybrid and non-hybrid technology.

Efforts will also be made to strengthen the six existing hospitality department kitchens, transforming them into smart cooking labs.

This will be achieved through the introduction of flameless cooking and the integration of renewable energy. 

By introducing smart cooking labs, Bent emphasises the importance of creating a safer environment for students to apply concepts and skill sets, particularly in the context of the growing use of renewable energy in the industry.

He says the Trust is planning to set up a stream water technology/water management lab at the Ebony Park Academy.

“This is so needed in Jamaica and across the world, as there are so many cries for water. We want to be able to teach our people how to harness desalination and reverse osmosis to [recycle] water for production utilisation, among other things,” he added.

Hydraulics and pneumatics, wind power, industrial 4.0, and trichology labs will all be created.