In a major milestone for technical and vocational education in southern Belize, the Stann Creek Institute for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ITVET) has formally opened the doors to its fully renovated campus this week. The $1.4 million infrastructure upgrade, entirely funded by the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), was celebrated with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony that brought together education leaders, government representatives, and community stakeholders to mark the completion of the project.
The rehabilitation work addressed longstanding structural issues across multiple campus facilities, bringing critical improvements to building foundations, exterior and interior surfaces, and roofing systems. BNTF Project Manager Dorett Tennyson explained that persistent roof leakage had been one of the most disruptive problems plaguing the campus for years, disrupting classes and creating unsafe learning conditions for both students and staff. “A big part was the leaks; we had leaks on the roof. So you know, we cleared it, we sealed it, and we repainted it, so we shouldn’t have leaking roofs again,” Tennyson said in comments following the ceremony.
After the official cutting of the ribbon, attending guests toured the refreshed campus spaces, where institution leaders outlined the far-reaching impacts of the upgrade beyond just structural repairs. For Stann Creek ITVET, the renovated facilities create the infrastructure needed to expand access to technical skills training for both enrolled students and community members across the region.
Gwendolyn Garcia Martinez, manager of the Stann Creek ITVET campus, emphasized that the upgrade removes long-standing capacity barriers that have limited the institution’s ability to meet growing demand for skilled workers in southern Belize. The improved facilities will allow the institute to grow its student intake and deepen collaborative partnerships with local businesses and industry organizations that rely on ITVET to train a qualified workforce. Garcia Martinez noted that local tourism industry employers have already reached out to establish new training partnerships to upskill current and future employees, and the institution is also exploring new programming to serve marginalized groups including people seeking asylum. “It has given us another level whereby we will be able to better serve more persons within this area,” Garcia Martinez said.
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Acting Area Representative for the districts of Dangriga, Hope Creek, and Sarawee, reflected on the challenges the institution faced prior to the renovation. For years, underinvestment in campus infrastructure contributed to low enrollment numbers and left a gap in technical skills training access for communities in southern Belize. The completed upgrade is expected to reverse these trends, positioning the campus as a key driver of economic development and workforce preparation across the region.