The new Innovation Hub for Electrical and Renewable Energy at St. Mary Technical High School is being hailed as a significant move by the Government in preparing young people for Jamaica’s technical workforce.
Speaking with JIS News, Head of the Department of Industrial Arts, Richard Allen, said that the facility signals a new era of competence-based training aligned with national development goals.
“Here at St. Mary Technical, we firmly believe that students who do industrial arts… especially renewable energy and electrical, should be competent in the field,” he said.
“Seeing that this particular lab is equipped with real-world equipment…each student who is going to learn and develop that level of competence to go into the field will be familiar with all of these gadgets, these tools and devices,” he added.
The laboratory, which officially opened on February 6, was completed through a $20 million investment under the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information’s Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Expansion Plan.
Designed to allow students to observe, measure and analyse patterns of energy generation and consumption in a real-world environment, the Innovation Hub forms part of a broader renewable energy plan aimed at advancing environmental sustainability, reducing institutional energy costs, and enhancing science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) learning.
Central to the initiative is the integration of renewable energy technologies, including solar, wind and biomass, into both the school’s infrastructure and curriculum.
By bridging the gap between theory and hands-on application, the innovation hub ensures students graduate not only with certification but with demonstrable skills aligned to industry standards.
Mr. Allen noted that the exposure will significantly improve students’ employment prospects, particularly within Jamaica’s expanding solar industry.
“When we actually send persons out there what will end up happening is that they are going to be so familiar with [the] equipment, to the point that they can actually go there and do the job,” he said.
“Persons will be certified, but most employers tend to ask for years of experience. The reason being is that persons tend to just teach the theory aspect and ignore the competence-based aspect,” he pointed out.
Mr. Allen, who has dedicated more than 20 years to the teaching profession, oversees the school’s industrial arts portfolio, preparing students for external examinations.
He teaches Industrial Technology (Electrical) and Electronics Technology at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level; Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology and Green Engineering at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level; as well as Electrical Installation NVQJ Level 2 and Renewable Energy NVQJ Level 2.
Among his students is Abigail Dixon, who placed second in the 2025 WorldSkills Jamaica National Skills Competition held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James last October.
The achievement earned her national recognition and selection to represent Jamaica at the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China, scheduled for September 22–27, 2026.
Senior Vice Principal, Tanshea Williams-Johnson, expressed confidence that the new innovation lab will take student learning and development to a higher level.
“Mr. Allen, he is more zealous than anybody else in the world and he wants to take them to Level 3 from here, so when they get out there, they are at the supervisory level, they are hands-on and they can just take on the world,” she told JIS News.
