Dr. Janet Dyer: A Trailblazing Educator Shaping Jamaica’s Future

Director/Principal of the HEART College of Hospitality Services/Cardiff Hotel and Spa, Dr. Janet Dyer, is a shining example of dedication and passion.

With more than 30 years of service in education, she continues to make a lasting impact on countless Jamaicans.

The seasoned educator and administrator, who will receive the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education on May 28, reflects on her remarkable journey, from HEART trainee to Director, highlighting her enduring influence on Jamaica’s education sector.

Dr. Dyer tells JIS News that HEART provided the foundation for her academic and professional growth.

‘I didn’t have the wherewithal to go on to college, and it was HEART that saved me,” she recounts.

Dr. Dyer enrolled as a HEART trainee, worked in the hospitality industry and before returning to HEART as an instructor.

She pursued further studies, earning impressive credentials that highlight her ability to seamlessly integrate TVET and academia.

The Director holds two PhDs in Education, one in leadership, policy and change from Walden University and the other on strategic leadership and management from the American International University.

Dr. Dyer later served as a Director of the Career Advancement Programme (CAP) in the Ministry of Education before making a second return to HEART as General Manager, which led to her appointment as Director/Principal in 2011.

In 2009, she was voted Boss of the Year for the HEART/NSTA Trust and the parish of St. Ann.

“I think for me, that’s a pivotal moment, because this was the organisation that moulded me, and then to become the Boss of the Year and also to be selected as the Managing Director for the merger of the HEART/NSTA Trust with the National Youth Service (NYS), the Apprenticeship Board and the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL),” she reflects.

Dr. Dyer tells JIS News that the merger was challenging but, ultimately, a successful endeavour.

“I was coming from what I refer to as the ‘bowels’ of the organisation. At that time, I was really a junior director and to have been moved from a junior director to taking on not just the organisation but a merger of that epic proportion, was challenging,” she further shares.

However, Dr. Dyer explains that HEART was able to pivot and take itself from the activities of just training and certifying persons – embodying the other tenets of the HEART Act – and bringing in the service component from NYS.

“We’re able to train not just the persons who come to us to say, ‘I need training in a particular skill’ but to take those persons who are not yet at the level for training through the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning, prepare them for training and then to certify them at world-class standards so they can go into industry,” she points out.

Dr. Dyer’s vision for the future is clear, and she vows to continue doing what she believes is her calling – certifying Jamaica one person at a time.

“Without our young Jamaicans being skilled and certified, our workforce [will be] in problems. What I do find now [is] a lot of our not-so-young persons are now turning to us at the HEART/NSTA Trust, seeking validation for their skills. Through that, I’m able to use prior learning recognition to certify these persons so they, too, can go back to industry as competent and certified,” she adds.

Meanwhile, Dr. Dyer describes her selection for the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation as “validation for over 30 years to the education system”.

The medal is awarded to educators with at least 15 of years, recognising exceptional service in the teaching profession as well as demonstrated community involvement, innovation and creativity.