UNIVERSITY OF BELIZE, versus the ITVET Community College Education system in Belize.

NEW HEAD OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BELIZE IS INTERVIEWED ON LOCAL TV TALK SHOW.

Like all academics he was well spoken and had a rational and explanation for everything to do with education. If you listened to him and swallowed the standard bureaucratic pap given, you would think the University of Belize was generally speaking in good hands. I´m not saying it is not. But being from the PRIVATE SECTOR I have a different outlook on what the University of Belize should be producing for both degrees and students. To some extent, my ideas may have more to do with the development of our fledgling Community College system, called ITVET. Belize badly needs practical education on making things to export to make money. I don´t believe the University of Belize is designed to do this? I don´t even believe they are capable of changing?

The thing is, I´m two years into our TRADING ROOM working the WORLD FINANCIAL MARKETS IN TRADING in Belize. There are no graduates, or students, competent to be trained by me in TRADING, hired to be on the TRADING FLOOR. It would take me about two years to take a UB graduate and train them so they were financially productive. The learning process is trial and error and by OSMOSIS of things tried and failed and lessons learned, over and over again. The most the UB graduate could currently offer is academic intelligence and the capability to learn the niche jargon and lingo. Talking like a bureaucrat is impressive, but it doesn´t earn any money, or put a meal on the table.

There is at least one thing we could do in the PRIVATE SECTOR to help the economy. Which needs EXPÒRT driven entrepreneurs manufacturing some niche product. I notice that two High School students I believe? They are being justifiably lauded all over the country and on TV, for coming highest scores on some sort of CARICOM educational testing program. Making schools and Belizeans very proud. Both of these young men wish to become aeronautical engineers. A very useful and laudable training goal. To make money for themselves they need to obtain as much as they can from Belize itself. For the most part, most A & P Colleges in the USA offer 2 year specialist training programs, to take the FAA exam. If you know your stuff anyway, you can do that without even going to college. The thing with USA colleges for the A & P ticket. ( Aircraft and Powerplant )is that it makes you an aeronautical engineer in the fastest time. You pick the one from a list of such colleges, with the highest percentage pass rate of their graduates taking the FAA Exams. Some such colleges are failures.
Gliss Marin, a young student of mine, on Caye Caulker in Primary School back years ago, was also convinced to follow this route. I believe he got scholarships and studied and certified in TRINIDAD. He worked there for many years and I believe he now has his company at Municipal Airstrip in the coastal port of Belize City, the last I heard many years ago. He would be about 45 years of age now. These two students would be wise to pick Gliss Marin´s brains if he is still there. They also could help him part time and pick up aeronautical know how, by on the job training part time. You ask a lot of questions, observe and read the appropriate books, you are bound to learn something.
They should also contact the Central Farm Airstrip manager/owner. Every year the EAA Air Show in Belize is organized and held here. The last two years, radio controlled small aircraft have been demonstrated at the show in Central Farm. I say this, because small radio controlled aircraft as surveillance drones are the coming thing all over South and Central America. We and our governments need them bad, for cruise ship garbage dumping, to fisheries patrols, or for fighting crime. There is a market for a small company in Belize making surveillance radio controlled drones. There are literally THOUSANDS of clubs in the USA to learn from, if they go to the USA. You can buy most stuff off the shelf in stock, or in Radio Shack. A Belize born business just waiting for somebody to start for EXPORT. The thing is, SOMEBODY an EXPAT probably, is already doing something like this as a hobby in Belize and contacting him would shorten your academic education very quickly and give you practical learning fast.
If you want to build airplanes, or something like that. The center of this activity is either in Spanish Lookout, where at least one man at Computer Ranch is building an aluminum airplane from a kit, and there are two young men, with primary school education, teaching themselves to fly and be commercial pilots, with an ultra light airplane they bought. Over in the BEDRAN and Chaa Creek area is a grass field with ultra lights, and whether you learn to build a 787 jumbo jet, or an ultra light, the lessons in aeronautical engineering are mathematically the same. Only the size is different. You can learn a lot from practical experience, already existing in BELIZE. You won´t find it at the University of Belize, or even the ITVET educational system.
There are all kinds of Niche EXPORT designed businesses to build in Belize, helping the country and making yourself very rich. Selling to the outside world. If you just want to have a salaried job, then I think you are an idiot. Wasting your life away, if making money while having fun is your goal.