Technical schools receive robotic kits

Six technical high schools have received more than 200 robotic kits from the HEART/NSTA Trust to facilitate the delivery of the autonomous mobile robotics level III job certification programme in the upcoming academic year.
The handover took place at the HEART College of Construction in Portmore, St Catherine, on Tuesday. The beneficiary institutions are Frome Technical High School, Westmoreland; Dunoon Technical High School, Kingston; St Mary Technical High School, St Mary; St Elizabeth Technical High School, St Elizabeth; Knockalva Technical High School, Hanover; and Herbert Morrison Technical High School, St James.
Each school received 10 standard stock robots, 10 Shanghai 2026 robotics kits and 20 assorted production kits. Managing Director of the HEART/NSTA Trust, Dr Taneisha Ingleton, said that the equipment represents the first set of distribution to 15 technical schools. The kits, she informed, are supported by production accessories, tutorial packages for the delivery of the robotics programme. The instructors from the respective schools have already been trained, certified and assessed by HEART.
Ingleton said that HEART will also provide technical guidance, accreditation and assessment services to support quality and certification of graduates. She said that the presentation of the kits is part of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding signed between the HEART Trust and the education ministry on March 25, 2024, which provides a framework for strengthening the integration and the expansion of technical and vocational education and training within Jamaica’s formal education system.
“This investment is about much more than providing equipment. It is about giving young Jamaicans practical opportunities to build skills in robotics, automation, coding, engineering and problem solving. These future-ready skills align with international standards and are increasingly important to Jamaica’s productivity, Jamaica’s competitiveness and ability to participate in a technology-driven global economy,” she stated.