HEART Trust /NTA

Our organization is the facilitating and coordinating body for workforce development in Jamaica. We provide access to training, competence assessment and certification to all working age Jamaicans and offer career development and employment facilitation services island-wide. Training is provided both in the workplace (Enterprise-Based), as well as through our 28 formal technical vocational and education training (TVET) institutions and over 120 TVET special programmes (Institution Based).

Our annual enrolment exceeds 80,000, and our annual certification is now above 60,000. In addition, the organization, through the National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and training (NCTVET), acts as the quality manager of the TVET system. It develops competency standards and assessment instruments, provides certification to individuals and accreditation to TVET institutions, programmes and registered training organizations.

The Human Employment and Resource Training (HEART) Trust was established in 1982. HEART is financed through a compulsory 3% payroll deduction levied on qualified private sector firms, which is supplemented by assistance from international partners. The Trust is mandated to finance, develop and monitor employment-training programmes, assist in placing graduates seeking jobs and promote employment projects.