175 Students Benefit From HEART/NSTA TVET Tertiary Scholarship Programme

One hundred and seventy-five Jamaicans have benefited from $140.6 million disbursed through the HEART/NSTA Trust Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Tertiary Scholarship Programme.

The scholarship programme responds to HEART’s triple access strategy to provide financial access and reduce the cost-related barriers that limit participation in skills training and TVET-related studies.

It was launched in 2022 to mark the country’s 60th independence anniversary.

In an interview with JIS News, Managing Director, Dr. Taneisha Ingleton, said 62 recipients were awarded in 2022/23; 65 in 2023/24; and 24 each in 2024/25 and 2025/26.

“The eldest recipient is now 62 years old and is now in the final year of the programme. We are proud that since 2023, we would have given out 175 scholarships,” she said.

The scholarship covers 80 per cent of tuition cost for an accredited undergraduate programme with a maximum duration of up to four years.

“The programme areas that we specialise in are artificial intelligence, cyber security, agribusiness, agriculture, renewable energy, construction, entrepreneurship, tourism and creative industries,” Dr. Ingleton said.

She added that applicants must be 17 years or older and be a first-year full-time or part-time student at an accredited local tertiary university or institution.

Applicants must also provide proof of membership in an established service group and demonstrate financial need.

The scholarship is renewable once the recipient remains in good academic standing.

Dr. Ingleton underscored that TVET is critical to Jamaica’s economy and future.

“Our country will grow when we have an appreciable number of individuals who are able to provide the services that are required for any sort of development. Construction, welding, tourism-related services, hospitality-related services, agricultural-related services – the sectors that are required to grow the economy are sectors that require TVET skills,” she said.

Dr. Ingleton told JIS News that human beings are multifaceted, with some excelling in traditional academic disciplines and others finding their passion, purpose and commitment in skills-based fields.

“Too often, we have dissected the two and we create what I would refer to as a false dichotomy, that one is inferior to the other and that both of them, perhaps, even cannot coexist and that is a fallacy,” she pointed out.

Dr. Ingleton suggested that TVET should be introduced to students at the primary level.

“If it is infused at primary, made explicit at the secondary and becomes specialised at the tertiary, then it becomes commonplace. It should not be introduced at a stage of recognition that the academics is not for you,” she contended.

Stressing that TVET can grow Jamaica’s economy, she said that children should be encouraged to pursue studies in these fields.

“That balance between the technical and the knowledge-based economy is very important,” she continued.