Education Minister Terry Lister has big plans for the National Training Board (NTB) which received $2,768,000 in Friday's budget.

Some of these initiatives include:

Social Policy-based Training Initiatives: In response to the Government's intent to pursue a social policy agenda, the National Training Board (NTB) has categorised and formatted eleven programs as social policy-based training initiatives.

More than 227 participants will benefit from these restorative and advancement initiatives.

The programs include the three-tier Tech Quest 2000 Project, Pre-Technology Studies, High School Equivalency Studies, NTB/Bermuda Regiment Project, Technical Career Preparation Seminar, Summer Youth Development Project and the NTB/Court Services Project.

Regulations: The National Occupational Certification Act 2004 and the National Training Board Act 1997 are subject to affirmative resolution procedure, therefore it is necessary to devise regulations and submit the regulations to Parliament.

The Board, with the approval of the Minister, will make regulations, inclusive of, but not limited to, prescribing the tasks and functions of a designated occupation; form of notices and certificates granted; designated and rescinding of an occupation; establishing a programme of transition of a designated occupation; the operation of Occupation Advisory Committees and the form of applications for national certificate renewal.

Prior Learning Assessment Specialist Secondment: The National Certification of incumbent tradesmen requires extensive practical assessments of workplace applied skill competence, including oral and written examinations.

This requires the sue of proven Prior Learning Assessments (PLA) instruments and expertise.

At present the NTB does not have proven assets.

Therefore, the NTB will acquire the seconded services of a PLA professional and special instrument from the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytecnic in Barbados.

Establishment of Occupational Advisory Committees: At present 21 occupations have been established to national standard.

The NTB will constitute and re-constitute the Committees in collaboration with industry for the purpose of advising and assisting the NTB with technical training and occupation standards pursuant to the NTB and National Occupational Certification Acts.

An apprenticeship and certification data management system is required and the Government of Nova Scotia in collaboration with Manitoba and New Brunswick developed the Apprenticeship and Certification Information System (ACIS) at a cost of six million dollars.

It has excellent utility for the NTB National Apprenticeship and Certification Systems.

The NTB needs a versatile and effective information management system and will engage in discussions with the Provinces for usage rights to ACIS.

When the NTB subsumed the function of the Apprenticeship and Training Council in 1997, the National Training Board Act essentially became an apprenticeship Act.

But in May 2000, the NTB expanded its function to include national workforce development and is now authorised under Section 4(1)(a) of the Act to take such measures as it considers necessary for ensuring an adequate supply of training manpower in all branches of economic activity in Bermuda.

Many NTB non-apprenticeship programmes are primarily national workforce development activities. However, a workforce development model for Bermuda has not been designed and the NTB will engage the necessary expertise to design such a model.

There may also be new legislation implications from this.