Formal vocational education has been available in Jamaica for more than a century. When the island became a crown colony in 1866, technical/vocational education was given a great boost, although it was not until 1896 when Kingston Technical School was established that commercial subjects were introduced. Industrial Training Centres (ITC) such as Carron Hall(1924), Knockalva, Holmwood, and Dinthill (1930s) were established to provide manual training. Today, significant social, economic, and political developments have been initiated and implemented to reinforce commitment to technical and vocational education. However, the apprenticeship programmes, existing prior to 1896 and designed to provide most of the hands-on training, are still a feature of many areas of vocational training (White 1977).