Calls to revive the Bermuda Technical Institute concept have been backed by a Bermuda College administrator.

Llewellyn Trott, associate vice president for technical education, said Bermuda College offered instruction in the trades ? but not to pre-teens who most needed it.

?You want to get them aged ten to 12. America has realised that now ? and is trying to get to where we were 50 years ago. The fact that Stuart Hayward is talking about using the Berkeley Institute is neither here nor there. It doesn?t so much matter about the location ? it?s the concept.?

Mr. Trott said there was technical education at the senior public schools which needed to be expanded with work attachments to promote a work ethic.

?It isn?t done formally ? they go out for half an afternoon,? he said.

He called for day release programmes to be run throughout the school year to prepare them for work or further technical study at college.

?Imagine how well we could do if they came fully prepared ? we could take it to a higher level. But a lot of younger people come in and we have to do remedial ? some people have never held a tool before or don?t know what a certain tool is. We have to go back to basics in support of these things and get them started earlier.?