The first part of this two-part series addressed stopping the flow of new criminals from our secondary schools. This may be done by rearranging the secondary school curriculum to teach the easier-to-learn material first, so that all students may understand at the same time – the current system gives an artificial advantage to those who learn it earlier than normal. This second part addresses training persons who are vulnerable to criminality to make money legally.

Since we unnecessarily harmed most of our students in the current school system by not teaching at their (the true normal) pace, we are responsible for making them whole. This may be done by: (i) extending the age when Barbadians may take CXC and CAPE exams without costs, (ii) encouraging the apprenticeship system in all trades, (iii) training persons how to start and grow profitable businesses and (iv) stopping the corrupting no-bid Government contracts. Each of these are discussed below.

ACADEMIC CERTIFICATES.

Our students who happened to understand the information later should never have been penalised-for-life because they could not keep up with those who happened to understand it earlier. They should never have been required to keep up to a teaching pace designed for a few early-learners.

To make them whole after they have left school, they should be allowed to study on their own and take the exams when they are ready. This would require taxpayers to pay their exams fees – which is the least that we can do. All past students should be encouraged to read the relevant text books and take the exams when they are ready.

APPRENTICES.

Those who wish to learn a trade should apprentice with those who mastered the trade. That is how trades used to be learnt, but we abandoned this proven method of training for a harmful method that has not benefitted Barbados.

Rather than paying master tradespersons with their trainee-apprentices as before, contractors tend to pay skilled artisans and then hire labourers who are expected to remain as labourers. No one should remain in the same station for the rest of their lives – there should be growth.

Many labourers tend to become dissatisfied with that low station and try to learn by observation. However, competence does not come from watching, but from practice under supervision – which is the apprenticeship system. Companies should stop hiring labourers and let master tradespersons hire their own apprentices.

PROFITABLE BUSINESSES.

All former (and senior) secondary school students should be trained how to start and grow profitable businesses with little to no start-up capital. This may be done in practical workshops where participants actually start their businesses to obtain another source of income – preferably being paid in foreign currency. Such practical workshops should be taught across Barbados.

Many different workshops have been tried for decades and failed. Jesus explained why. “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40)

In a practical workshop, if teachers are teaching things they have not done, their students will likely have similar accomplishments. If the aims of a workshop are for participants to: (i) create innovative and marketable products and (ii) earn foreign currency that is a minimum of 30% of their total earnings, then workshop trainers should have achieved those aims before teaching them.

FAIR MARKET.

Good initiatives tend to be frustrated in a corrupt market. The normal evidence of a corrupted market is corrupting no-bid contracts. Such contracts normally: (i) disqualify competent companies, (ii) reward the least competent companies and (iii) force taxpayers to pay significantly more than the actual value of a fair contract – leaving potential customers (the public) with less disposable income to support new businesses. Thus ends this two-part series.

_{Grenville Phillips II is a Doctor of Engineering, Chartered Structural Engineer and President of Walbrent College. Dr Phillips is the current winner of the National Innovation Competition and teaches workshops on starting profitable businesses with little to no start-up money. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com}