Education Minister Randy Horton will meet with representatives from industry and education in the New Year to discuss ways to improve the technical education offered on the Island.

The meeting follows on from a forum held at Bermuda College last month (November) which looked at how to tackle the decline in technical programmes available to young people.

Llewellyn Trott, the college's vice-president for applied science and technology, told The Royal Gazette the aim of the meeting was to identify a formula that would work to "make technical education what it should be in Bermuda".

He said: "All of the technical people in this country know what's required to move forward. It's just a matter of everyone coming together and making it happen."

Last month's forum led to the college compiling a list of 11 recommendations, including holding the New Year meeting. The other ten were:

[bul]Examining ways to entice companies to place emphasis on training and developing a formula to link work permits to training.

[bul]Including technical experts on key education boards.

[bul]Ensuring final-year primary school students receive an introduction to technology education.

[bul]Implementing a well-organised apprenticeship for all trades for middle and secondary school students, including day release and summer schedules.

[bul]Ensuring students have maths and computer skills.

[bul]Developing and implementing a marketing campaign to promote technical trades and applied sciences as attractive career choices.

[bul]Creating an auto body and repair shop at CedarBridge Academy for use by full and night-time Bermuda College classes.

[bul]Ensuring that state-of-the-art training facilities exist and are maintained at the college and in public schools.

[bul]Introducing technical instructor certification programmes at the college.

[bul]Encouraging Government to follow through with trade certification.

Mr. Trott said Bermuda had an international reputation for excellent technical education from 1942 until the 1980s. But he said the Island had never really had the kind of in-depth programmes it needed since the closure of Bermuda Technical Institute (BTI).

"That has not been by choice for Bermuda College," he said. "In life you have to put your money where your mouth is and we in this country have not put the money into technical education as we should have."

Mr. Trott, a former mechanic and BTI graduate, added: "My aim is to make Bermuda College one of the best technical entities in the western hemisphere. Bermuda Technical Institute was, so why can't Bermuda College?"

Former college board chairman Nalton Brangman, also a former chairman of the National Training Board, which provides sponsorship for students on technical programmes, said that the college and industry needed together to "move dynamically" to launch technical programmes to meet the Island's future needs.

"The college fails and the number of work permit applications will increase," he added.

Opposition MP Grant Gibbons has long called for improved technical education. He said: "I'm not sure what's going to come out of that discussion. There has been no proper plan for technical education and there has been no increase in the budget over there (at the college) for technical education. The college really should become a centre for technical education."

Education Minister Randy Horton did not respond to a request for comment.