By Admin. Updated 3:50 p.m., Monday, April 6, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
Students from Food Science, Digital Media and Marketing, and Tourism and Hospitality at the Division of Technical and Vocational Education (DTVE) of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College have collaborated on a wine tasting event for industry professionals.
Food Science students produced the wines, Digital Media and Marketing students promoted them, and Tourism and Hospitality students applied their bar operations skills. This inter-departmental effort has earned praise from Senior Education Officer (SEO) for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Mrs Pearlette Primus-Haddaway.
Speaking to One News SVG at the 30 March event held at the DTVE, Mrs Primus-Haddaway said:
“…as a technical college, the collaboration between departments must be commended.”
“This is my first wine tasting experience in St. Vincent, and I really enjoyed it. I applaud effort by the students. My suggestion is that we don’t want it to end here. Some of these products can actually be on supermarket shelves. I mean, I did a tour and we saw the other products like Dasheem chips, and so on.”
“And these we do not want them to end here. And if we can, we can encourage our students to build this entrepreneurial spirit that when they’re finished training, they don’t have to wait and apply, so they’re going to apply to look for a job here and there. They have this skill that they can use, find partnerships. And I’m sure they would get support.”
Mrs Primus-Haddaway also commended the students’ soft skills.
“From my own experience, from the time I entered the compound, that first impression was important with the young man who welcomed me. He explained everything. He even asked me, how was my day. We had a full-fledged conversation. And I appreciate that because that communication is important. If you’re getting it, it’s not just the skill. The soft skills must come through,” she said.
The SEO for TVET further praised the DTVE for partnering with other schools. Recently, the DTVE’s Food Science Lab has hosted visits from Union Island Secondary, Intermediate High, and Calliaqua Anglican School.
“As SEO for TVET, I really endorse this because that is something we are looking to do in terms of infusing TVET in primary schools. Because if we are talking about TVET as a national economic strategy, we cannot begin to talk about TVET only when students get to form 3 and 4 and then college. As a matter of fact, the name of the ministry has now been reconfigured to include vocational ed training. So it is staring us right in our face.”
“So we have to start to engage our young minds. And I really want to commend a teacher from Calliaqua, especially for using her initiative to get the students intimately, intentionally, involved at the college, because one, what that is going to do also for the college is to market it so students would see exactly where they want to go,” Mrs Primus-Haddaway said.
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