Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) has been positioned as a major contributor to national development in the  Caribbean (Chaplin, 2006;  McIntosh, 2008; Miller, 1998; O’Lawrence, 2008). The discourse about TVET has been laudatory in the main, acclaiming the potential benefits of vocational education in particular and underscoring it as a transformational tool in the educational firmament, particularly with respect to practical training pursued in light of the imperatives of nation building.

The paper begins with an analysis of the impact of vocational education in Jamaica over the past 30 years. A critical look was taken of the two periods of major interventions in Jamaica: the introduction of the grades 10 and 11 programme in 1974 and the introduction of the HEART Trust in 1982. The article advances the view that vocational education in Jamaica has failed to have the required impact in preparing a workforce to respond adequately to issues of employment, productivity and efficiency.

Typically, the debates on economic advancement in this ‘globalized’ economy, particularly for small states, are steered towards the robustness of monetary and fiscal policies and other related macroeconomic measures. Without doubt those are essential ingredients, but this paper seeks to draw close attention to an often taken-for-granted, but equally fundamental driver of economic progress.

The relationship of TVET institutions with industries is of paramount importance since the primary business of these institutions is to interpret the market demand signals and prepare human resources to satisfy the manpower needs of industries. Sustainable relationships between TVET institutions and industries are established for reasons which benefit both entities.