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Executives of CARILEC, St. Lucia Technical Vocational Council SLCTVET and LUCELEC celebrate the completion of the line worker occupational standards.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia–The Caribbean Electric Utilities Corporation CARILEC has concluded a milestone initiative to upgrade occupational standards for electric line workers to National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) credential level. These standards are critical to the process of continuous development, and to the standardisation of training and certification in line with Caribbean Community CARICOM Vocational Training (CVQ) credentials.
According to CARILEC’s Training Manager Laurena Primus, the CARILEC Line Worker programme holds major significance for the sector in the Caribbean region. As an NVQ credential, it facilitates the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Free Movement of Skills regime. At the CARICOM level, it facilitates the Free Movement of Goods and Services Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) regime, which promotes the removal of barriers to intra-regional movement and the harmonisation of standards to ensure acceptability of goods and services traded. “In addition to establishing professional standards and accreditation for the industry in the region, the standards will also fast-track the process of pursuing CVQ accreditation, while also professionalising the career of Caribbean line workers”, Primus explained.
The competency-based programme covers five core thematic areas: Maintenance Basics, Overhead Distribution – De-Energized, Overhead Distribution – Energized, Underground URD and Transmission. It consists of an instructor’s guide and a comprehensive student workbook containing 78 units – each highlighting US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation snapshots and field performance requirements, high-quality videos, prior learning assessment recognition, end of unit assessment, Train-The-Trainer, on-the-job training, field performance reports and final exams.
The St. Lucia Technical Vocational Council SLCTVET collaborated with CARILEC to complete the Line Worker Occupational Standards, which they formally handed over to CARILEC during a brief ceremony on Friday, October 25. The process of developing the standards began with the purchase of a generic off-the-shelf, four-year course spanning the entire range of linesman training from entry level to journeyman level. Thereafter CARILEC enlisted the expertise of SLCTVET and subject matter experts from St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited LUCELEC to validate the material and customise the standards to the context of Caribbean utilities’ realities.
CARILEC’s Executive Director Dr. Cletus Bertin described the completion and formalisation of occupational standards as “an important and timely milestone” for the CARILEC Linesman Programme. The programme was established in 2009 to assist CARILEC Member Utilities with the professional development of their line workers and to simplify CARILEC’s disaster assistance efforts. “Its value and timing can be best appreciated when viewed vis-à-vis the changing weather phenomenon, recent experiences of the devastation of electrical infrastructure and our response through the CARILEC Disaster Assistance Programme. In such instances meriting joint manpower support to a Member Utility, line workers have to work on electrical configurations that are different from those in their home country. A harmonised procedural approach is beneficial at many levels, not least among which is safety,” Dr. Bertin said.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/92155-carilec-line-worker-occupational-standards-upgraded-to-nvq-level
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