Youth Marginalised by Skilled Expat Workers
Political hopeful Dr Arlene Smith Thompson says many young Virgin Islanders are being sidelined as employers hire technically skilled expatriates to fill gaps the local workforce cannot. She blames decades of underinvestment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and the long-standing absence of a functioning TVET Council to align training with industry needs.
Political hopeful Dr Arlene Smith Thompson has warned that increasing numbers of young Virgin Islanders are being marginalised in the territory’s skilled labour market as employers recruit expatriates to fill technical roles. Speaking on the Talking Points radio show, Smith Thompson said the shortfall stems from the BVI’s decades-long failure to properly develop Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
She said this has produced a persistent disconnect between what students learn in school and the skills local employers require. "So, you find that there might be gaps because what they were taught in school, when they get their certifications, and they come out, it’s not supported by the job market," she said, adding that a growing number of skilled workers are now arriving in the territory, leaving local youth feeling marginalised.
Smith Thompson pointed to cultural and economic shifts that compounded the problem. She recalled that technical education was often looked down upon when she was in school and that the rise of the financial services sector encouraged many residents to pursue office-based careers rather than trades. "Everybody wanted to put on a tie and go into an office," she said.
The consequences are visible across sectors. Smith Thompson cited hospitality as an example, saying trained local chefs are increasingly hard to find. Drawing on experience running a restaurant with her husband, she said efforts to train young Virgin Islanders have frequently failed to produce lasting retention: "We have tried on so many occasions to train young people, local young people but they never do stay." She also criticised the absence of a functioning TVET Council, a body provided for under the BVI’s Education Act that should link education providers with private industry, identify workforce shortages and direct training and funding to where jobs exist. "We have not been functioning at that level for over 20 years," Smith Thompson said.
For BVI residents, the current situation affects job opportunities, household incomes and the territory’s capacity to depend on local talent for tourism, construction and marine services. Policy responses commonly proposed by educators and employers include reactivating the TVET Council, aligning curricula with industry needs, expanding apprenticeships and work-based training, and public campaigns to destigmatise skilled trades.
Smith Thompson’s comments add pressure on government and private sector leaders to act quickly to restore TVET’s role and create clear pathways for young people into technical careers, reducing reliance on expatriate labour and improving local employment prospects.
Primary source: BVI News