Education at Work
Issue 33: July/August 2016
Free Nursing Education by Maureena Wilson
Worldwide, there are reports of nursing shortages but through the Ministry of Education citizens can access training to become a registered nurse. Previously offered under the Ministry of Health, the Tertiary Education Division assumed responsibility for nursing education in 2011. These programmes have been available to citizens for more than 75 years. Through the Tertiary Education Division, persons can access training in Midwifery, Nursing Assistants, Psychiatric Nursing, General Nursing and specialist training for Registered Nurses. Joycelyn Clarke, Manager of the Nursing Education Unit, said that there has been a heavy focus in the area of Psychiatric Nursing as there is a high demand for nurses specialised in that field. Nurses and nursing students alike are required to take the Regional
Exam for Nurse Registration, annually, which takes place in April and October. These exams are administered by CXC in collaboration with the Nursing Council in each territory. According to Ms. Clarke, 95% of nursing students are filtered into the public system upon graduation. Persons interested in applying to the nursing programmes can check for advertisements on the Ministry of Education’s website, the daily newspaper or call 627-3340 ext. 393/394. Programmes are offered at locations in both Port of Spain and San Fernando. Persons can also apply to study nursing at the University of The West Indies, University of the Southern Caribbean and the College of Science Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT) subject to the admission regulations of these institutions.
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TERTIARY
Due to current economic circumstances, a decision was made on Wednesday August 3rd 2016 to reduce expenditure but maintain the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (GATE) Programme. The following are some of the proposed changes to the existing GATE Programme: . Students currently enrolled in programmes and in receipt of GATE funding will continue to receive funding for the duration of their programmes . Students about to enrol to programmes for the 2016/2017 academic year will receive 100% funding for the 2016/2017 academic year . Beginning 2017/2018 students will be asked to participate in a means test to determine the level of funding they can access 1. Household income TT$10,000 or less 100% funding 2. Household income under TT$30,000 75% funding. Students pays 25% of tuition fees 3. Household income above TT$30,000 50% funding. Students pays 50% of tuition fees . Post-graduate funding will be available for programmes aligned with developmental needs of Trinidad & Tobago . From 2017 only institutions and programmes approved by the Accreditation Council of Trinidad & Tobago (ACTT) will receive GATE funding . Citizens 50 years and over are no longer eligible for GATE funding. However, students over 50 years that are currently enrolled in programmes will receive funding to complete their course of study For more information on changes to the GATE programme go to http://moe.edu.tt/learning/post-secondary
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Education at Work
Issue 33: July/August 2016
A publication of the Corporate Communications Division Ministry of Education 628-1581