PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Graduates from Sundial, Milton Peters College VSBO, and St. Maarten Academy PSVE on St. Maarten have the possibility of continuing their education in St. Maarten, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, the Netherlands, United States or Canada, but they have to be aware of what their options are and what it takes to be successful.
The Student Support Services Division (SSSD) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport will be hosting a workshop entitled “My PBL, PKL and TKL Education and Beyond” to highlight the abovementioned.
This free workshop, which is the final workshop in the Thursdays Online with SSSD, will be held online on October 8, 2020 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM.
According to SSSD officials, many students in Voorbereidend Secundair Beroepsonderwijs (VSBO) or Preparatory Secondary Vocational Education (PSVE) – PBL, PKL and TKL- often need clarity about their options after graduating. VSBO is offered at the Milton Peters College (PBL, PKL and TKL streams) and at the Sundial School (PBL and PKL streams). PSVE is offered at the St. Maarten Academy PSVE (PBL and PKL streams). For many students or graduates of the VSBO/ PSVE secondary school systems on the island, the question of ‘What is next?’ after their education, often poses a challenge.
“With this workshop, the Student Support Services Division (SSSD) is aiming to show these students that there are many study/educational opportunities for them,” SSSD officials indicated. They added that students have to be determined and focused as well as have the aptitude to successfully complete the requirements at the next level.
The workshop is open to students in the last two years of the PBL, PKL and TKL sections and recent graduates. Parents are also encouraged to attend this workshop to get an understanding of what the options are for their children who are being educated in these systems.
There are ways and means for these graduates to continue their studies, if they wish, but all these different opportunities have specific requirements and the graduates should be aware of these requirements.
Attendants of this workshop will also be explained some of the technicalities associated with moving from vocational to academic education as well as moving off island to study.
“Moving from one educational system may not be straightforward but it is possible and it is up to the student to take advantage of what is there and they do need to apply themselves,” SSSD officials stated.
The “My PBL, PKL and TKL Education and Beyond” workshop will highlight both opportunities to study in English as well as in Dutch. Students are encouraged to register, in advance for the workshop so an invitation can be emailed to them, students can also click “Join” on the link on the Student Support Services Facebook page. If parents or students have any questions on these workshops, they can contact the Student Support Services Division at telephone 543-1235 or studentsupportservices@sintmaartengov.org for more information.
The Student Support Services Division (SSSD) provides services to students referred by the schools such as psychological services, counseling services, social work services, educational diagnostic services, speech language pathology services. SSSD also provides general services such as career services, parent sessions and crisis response.
