HEART/NSTA Enrols 52,000 Students During First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2025/26

The HEART/NSTA Trust enrolled 52,000 young Jamaicans in skills training programmes during the first quarter of fiscal year 2025/26, between April and June. 

 This was disclosed by Managing Director, Dr. Taneisha Ingleton, during her remarks at the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC) Skills Training Closing Out Ceremony, held at the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Headquarters, Up Park Camp, Kingston, on Friday (June 20). 

She noted that the enrolments included Friday’s cohort of JNSC graduates, “who now stand equipped to contribute meaningfully to Jamaica’s economy, workforce and social fabric… actively engaging in the work of nation-building”. 

Dr. Ingleton noted that the strong start to the 2025/26 fiscal year follows the agency’s overachievement of its 2024/25 targets, having enrolled 137,442 students – 107 per cent of its goal. 

Simultaneously, the agency certified 53,969 individuals during fiscal year 2024/25 – achieving 103 per cent of its certification target. 

“These are not just numbers. These are our young people demonstrating their strength and potential. So, we are reporting that we have demonstrated sustained, strong enrolment momentum across technical and vocational programmes, continued certification output across sectors such as ICT (information and communications technology), construction and business administration, increased integration of technology and real-world experience via our skills-on-demand portal and our industry partnerships,” Dr. Ingleton emphasised. 

She noted that the agency is not merely providing skills but driving transformation through its Triple Access Strategy – focused on enhancing training quality, expanding services for at-risk youth, and strengthening the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) ecosystem.  

“HEART/NSTA Trust is not just a training provider. We are a strategic driver of development. We operate 26 institutions, 80 community programmes and countless special projects designed to move Jamaica forward,” the Managing Director said, adding that the agency is fully aligned with the long-term National Development Plan – Vision 2030 Jamaica. The announcement regarding the HEART/NSTA Trust’s enrolment figures was welcomed by Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, who described the numbers as “incredible”. 

He further noted that over the past two years, more than 150,000 individuals have enrolled in HEART/NSTA Trust programmes – reflecting the agency’s expanding reach and impact. 

Dr. Holness posited that the agency’s efforts have contributed to a decline in the number of unattached youth islandwide, as well as a reduction in the national unemployment rate, which now stands at a historic low 3.5 per cent. 

“My own view… not having the data yet… just giving my own speculation based upon other information that I have… is that we would have dramatically reduced the number of unattached youths in our society. And you ask where are they now? Well many of them are in the JDF. Many of them are in the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force). Many of them are working in Customs [and] in the [Jamaica] Fire Brigade. They’re all over,” the Prime Minister surmised.