Bermuda’s educational system needs to up its ante when it comes to technical studies, Bermuda College dean Llew Trott has warned. Mr Trott spoke before Hamilton Rotary Club, in advance of the College’s hosting of Science Week on October 19 and 20.

Noting that the College currently has 88 students enrolled in technical programmes, the dean of Applied Science and Technology asked: “So why are the numbers down? Why are classes under review because of low enrolment? What value do we as a society place on technical education?”

Too many students applying at the College were “deficient in the basic requirements such as basic maths, communication skills and the ability to measure”, Mr Trott said.

He called for “a concerted effort to integrate the problem-solving skills into all disciplines” starting from primary school. “Too many times, we hear the statement, ‘My son is not academic’ or ‘My son is good with his hands’,” he said. “What I really believe people intend to say is that their son has an alternative learning style, or that their son’s learning style is not being met. Technical education is academic.”

The College today delivers eight technical programmes, from automotive to welding, with 167 student graduates since 2000. Students also helped with the renovation of the Technical Centre, in which workshops were upgraded and new classrooms built.

However, in order for Bermuda to sustain itself, Mr Trott said the Island’s schools should train students early and guide them to industry positions through job-shadowing, day release and apprenticeships. “From these apprenticeships, not only must we deliver competent technicians, we must also develop future technical instructors and lecturers, not just for Bermuda College, but for the educational system as a whole,” he said.