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  • 2 years ago
Trainees in the Manufacturing and Apprenticeship Programme at the MIC Institute of Technology in Macoya believe they are being set up to fail.


They tell us, there are many woes, including a lack of learning tools, problems in getting structure for one of their courses and a high level of absenteeism.


Alicia Boucher spoke to a couple of them, on condition of anonymity.
Transcript
00:00 And all of them come and fail.
00:02 You know, they get seven classes all day with pneumatics and hydraulics and they still fail.
00:10 You know why they fail?
00:13 Because these practicals have to start from day one.
00:17 We're told that's a conversation that was recorded in January with a coordinating staff
00:22 member and a present year two cohort of the Manufacturing and Apprenticeship Program under
00:27 the MIC Institute of Technology in Macoya.
00:31 A source tells us for the trainees in that program, which comprises 25% theory and 75%
00:39 practical work, learning is a nightmare, starting with a lack of equipment.
00:44 We don't have stations, hydropneumatic trainers.
00:51 We don't have, we lack tools such as like hacksaws and files, the files dull, the screwdrivers
01:00 dull.
01:01 Most things, when it comes to, we take extra time to do them because the equipment dull
01:10 or we have a lack of equipment for the size of the class.
01:13 Right now we have a pneumatics lab and it has stations in it and we cannot get access
01:19 to it.
01:20 According to our source, the lab belongs to another department.
01:24 And the things they ask them for, such as a course outline, MIC did not give the instructor
01:32 a proper course outline, a proof outline from the curriculum department.
01:40 Our source claims there is a high level of absenteeism by instructors in the course,
01:45 further alleging that during a 12-week period, which consisted of a two-day work week, an
01:52 instructor showed up for five weeks out of the 12, which calculates to 10 out of 24 days.
01:58 There is also dissatisfaction by apprentices over the quality of training for that particular
02:04 program.
02:05 We're supposed to be doing pumps, compressors, rigging, alignment, you know, and for eight
02:16 weeks when we came into year two, we did cutting and filing.
02:22 The trainees are GATE funded, and our source says they are worried that their future is
02:27 in jeopardy for something that is out of their control.
02:30 We don't know if GATE, this one chance we have with GATE, will be basically thrown away.
02:39 And we have, you know, we have other opportunities and stuff, and we take it here, and we end
02:45 up wasting it.
02:47 In response, acting general manager of the training division at MIC Nathan Langine acknowledges
02:53 that there are problems with a lack of equipment, including requisite components required for
02:59 pneumatics and hydraulics.
03:01 As he says, timely procurement is at fault.
03:05 And this is because of reduced funding for some of our programs through our line ministries,
03:12 yeah?
03:13 That would be the Ministry of Trade and Industry?
03:17 In this instance, yes.
03:19 Yes.
03:20 But MIC's chief executive officer, Anil Ramnarain, assures us that the order for the lab equipment,
03:26 which is sourced internationally, was placed.
03:29 We should have that in short order.
03:32 Generally within the next, I would say, if I'm making a gamble, it wouldn't be beyond
03:36 two weeks.
03:37 TV6 News has received correspondence outlining a problem of there not being a curriculum
03:43 in pneumatics and hydraulics.
03:45 Ramnarain admits that as well.
03:47 But he says it's no threat to the program.
03:50 We are moving towards finalizing the curriculum.
03:54 And the program specification that we are guided by is very sufficient to ensure that
04:03 the core, all courses that we have under the MAP program, you know, it's administered
04:10 very structurally.
04:12 MIC explains that its National Skills Development Journeyman Program, for which a curriculum
04:18 was signed off on for 2022 to 2025, is what was transformed into the MAP and the journeyman
04:26 course outline is being used.
04:29 Apart from that, placing the trainees in partnering industries for hands-on training is another
04:34 way MIC tells us it attempts to close the training gaps.
04:39 As for the allegations about the time trainees are forced to spend on one topic and the reported
04:45 high absenteeism among instructors, MIC says these claims would have to be investigated.
04:52 Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
04:54 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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