STETHS to get Jamaica's first high school mechatronics and robotics lab

WESTERN BUREAU:

In addition to its traditional offerings, come September, St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) will expand its technical and vocational curriculum to include robotics, music production, and television and radio production at the sixth-form level.

Speaking at STETHS' recent 2026 graduation ceremony, Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon said the expansion of the school's curriculum is part of a J$400 million investment to transform technical education in secondary schools.

"You heard on my birthday (September 18) you're having an opening ceremony for a cutting-edge mechatronics and robotics lab," Morris Dixon told members of the graduating class. "No other high school in Jamaica has this, and this is coming to this institution in September."

Before Morris Dixon's announcement, the school's principal, Keith Wellington, had somewhat pre-empted her by announcing that the next cohort of sixth-form students will be exposed to robotics.

"Come September, we will be introducing robotics into the formal curriculum, so students entering sixth form will have robotics as a choice of subject," he said, before adding that music production and television and radio production will also be on offer.

According to Wellington, the expansion forms part of the school's 60th anniversary legacy project and reflects STETHS' commitment to equipping students with practical, industry-relevant skills alongside traditional academic subjects.

Addressing the expected impact of the new subjects, Morris Dixon said the investment reflects the Government's commitment to ensuring that technical high schools are equipped with modern technology to meet the demands of the changing labour market.

"The minister has taken $400 million in funding from HEART, and we're investing it into our technical high schools across this country," she said. "We believe that our students at STETHS, or any of the other technical high schools in Jamaica, must have the best technology at their fingertips."

According to Morris Dixon, many of Jamaica's technical institutions had not benefited from major equipment upgrades in decades.

"Many of our technical high schools were equipped many moons ago, in the '60s, and there have not been any real upgrades since that time. We are focused on our technical high schools, but we're not focused on the past anymore; we're looking at the future," she said.

She urged the students not to consider technical and vocational education as second-class, noting that the country's future economic growth depends on skilled workers.

"Never allow anyone to convince you that practical or technical education is inferior. Jamaica needs skilled builders, we need electricians, we need welders, we need plumbers, we need mechanics, we need technicians, we need engineers, we need agricultural specialists, we need hospitality professionals and digital creators," she said.

Morris Dixon said the Ministry of Education is strengthening technical and vocational training through expanded apprenticeships, stronger links with industry and entrepreneurship, and new programmes in emerging fields such as mechatronics, robotics, electronics, information and communications technology, data protection and digital animation.

She also highlighted enhanced support through HEART/NSTA Trust, including free tuition for programmes up to Level Five, grants of up to $50,000 for trade tools, $100,000 for business start-ups, and up to $300,000 for graduates in high-tech disciplines such as mechatronics and robotics.

Looking ahead, Morris Dixon said the Government is also establishing a contractor incubator programme through HEART and the Development Bank of Jamaica to help train the next generation of contractors needed to support the country's expanding infrastructure programme.

"STETHS is not a small-thinking place. As a graduate of this institution, wherever in the world you go, you stand with your head tall because you came to this institution," she said.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com