HEART`s TVET Scholarship Nurtures Amoy Crawford’s Agricultural Dream

Clarendon native, Amoy Crawford, envisioned a career in agriculture while a student at Claude McKay High School in the parish.

Attending the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) in Portland became part of her plan, but financial challenges made the journey uncertain.

Added to that, she wrestled with the thought of leaving home.

“I wanted to get a feel of what I’m stepping into, so, I said ‘[HEART/NSTA Trust] Ebony Park is there’ so, let me go to Ebony Park and get an understanding of what I should expect from CASE,” Miss Crawford tells JIS News in an interview.

From August 2023 to August 2024, she pursued general agriculture at Ebony Park in her home parish, building a strong foundation.

However, the question of tuition to attend CASE still loomed, so she turned to someone she trusted for assistance, her instructor, Colleen Walker.

Her instructor pointed her to the HEART/NSTA Trust Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Tertiary Scholarship Programme and encouraged her to apply.

Miss Crawford completed the application and attended an interview.

She later received the news that she had been awarded the scholarship, which covers 80 per cent of her tuition and is renewable for a maximum of four years, once she remains in good academic standing.

Miss Crawford is among 175 Jamaicans who have benefited from the TVET Tertiary Scholarship since its launch in 2022.

“Honestly, it means the most to me. Seeing that HEART looks out for its trainees and ensures that they get financial assistance to go and pursue their dreams, I’m truly grateful. It takes the financial strain off,” she shares with JIS News.

Miss Crawford began her studies at CASE in September 2024, and is now in her second year, pursuing a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Animal Science.

At CASE, agriculture is a lifestyle.

Boarding is mandatory in the first and second years, and with classes and farm work, Miss Crawford has a demanding schedule, but she would not have it any other way.

Generally, her days involve carrying out labour-intensive farm work before a full day of classes – six mornings a week, plus afternoon farm duties twice per day.

“A typical day at school is, well, it varies. So, for now, I’m at dairy and I have to be up by 3:30 a.m. to reach by 4:00 a.m. to milk the animals. Not every day will your morning be the same. This morning, the animal milks good and the next morning, a pure problem,” she tells JIS News, adding that some mornings require extra energy to chase down a cow that has broken out of the pen.

Amid the challenges, Miss Crawford’s passion is unmistakable.

She tells JIS News that she enjoys all aspects of animal care, including cleaning up waste.

“I hug them up and rub them down and after I’m finished, sometimes I just [admire] how they have grown,” she says.

Miss Crawford tells JIS News that she chose to study animal science after recognising that many livestock farmers rely on generational knowledge, and while valuable, presents a risk of low productivity and inefficiency.

She desires to bring technical skills and formal training to the field.

“Skill is everything,” she says, underscoring how critical TVET is to Jamaica’s economy.

Miss Crawford has big ambitions for her future, including starting a business and conducting public education sessions for farmers across Jamaica.

“I am very passionate about what I do, and I want to be somewhere that I can be impactful. I want to have my own farm store, I want to run my livestock business and have my crop business,” she says of her entrepreneurial aspirations.

For Miss Crawford, agriculture represents security, resilience and purpose.

“Without food, we can’t survive and COVID was the perfect example. When many people got laid off, agriculturalists still made their money. We might not make as much, but the sector is still running. That’s where I want to be and AI [artificial intelligence] can’t take over my work,” she affirms.