Upskilling in Suriname

Suriname has no single one-stop system for continuing education. Upskilling is offered through ministries, public training programmes, specialist institutions, employers, unions, community providers and self-directed learning. Local terms include nascholing for further training, bijscholing for updating skills, her- or omscholing for retraining or changing occupational direction, vaktraining for occupational training, volwasseneneducatie for adult education and corporate training for employer-based learning. Formal, non-formal and informal pathways have different consequences. Formal options include COVAB post-basic nursing programmes and qualifications within the Suriname National Training Authority (SNTA) framework. Non-formal options include SAO, TFE or Leri Fu Feni Wroko, SHTTC, SPWE, SIVIS and EZOTI courses. Informal learning includes work experience, self-study and on-the-job learning. SNTA develops occupational standards, competency-based education and training (CBET), assessment and certification. Its CVQ uses regional standards, while its NVQ applies national standards where no CVQ exists. A CVQ can be earned at a workplace, training institute or community programme. Providers offering N/CVQ training need to operate as SNTA-accredited training centres. SNTA also uses PLAR, meaning the assessment and recognition of prior learning. PLAR can assess skills gained through formal courses, non-formal training, work and life experience or self-study. This can provide a qualification pathway for someone who has relevant competence but lacks a conventional course record. An institution’s own certificate is not automatically equivalent to an SNTA qualification. The issuing body, assessment method, occupational standard and accreditation status determine what the certificate proves. The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (MinOWC) sets education policy, while its Directorate of Vocational Education supports vocational education policy and coordination. CENASU and OBP provide professional development for teaching and non-teaching staff connected with MinOWC. CENASU was established in 2011 and officially operated from 2022 at MinOWC in Paramaribo. Its training has included school leadership, Google Docs and Forms, care coordination and mentoring for LBO teachers. Access is primarily intended for MinOWC personnel, and SRD 5,000,000 was allocated for CENASU in the 2026 budget. The Ministry’s National Education Policy 2024–2031 includes lifelong learning and adult education. It also describes corporate training as an area for development within quaternary education and expects cooperation between MinOWC, businesses, civil society and international partners. Hybrid and distance learning are included in the policy direction, but devices, internet access, reliable electricity and digital skills remain practical barriers. SAO offers vocational courses generally aimed at people aged 16 and above, including jobseekers, young school leavers and people seeking retraining or additional skills. Fields include construction, metalwork, care and services, installation and electrical work, ICT, mining, gas, water and sanitation, and refrigeration technology. A regular course often lasts about 12 months and may combine classroom learning with practical work and an internal or external placement lasting two to four months. Social skills are also included. Regular SAO fees are not consistently documented in the available information, so the current provider notice determines the cost and admission requirements. Applications are usually made directly to the provider; an SAO example requires a CBB extract and the most recent education record, while some courses require GLO completion and an age of at least 16. Wroko Foe Mek Moni is a public programme run through SAO and the Directorate of Welfare and Labour within VWA. It targets people aged 16 to 40 across Suriname, including districts and the interior, and aims to support employment or the start of a micro-enterprise. Public funding covered the programme, with SRD 50 million reserved in 2023. Free 2025 courses included textile work, household electrical installation, Assistant Hairdresser A and Barber. A 2026 Blauwgrond cohort had 20 participants, lasted four months and was fully state-funded. Participants receive a certificate, and some courses may provide tools or a starter kit. Places and course areas depend on regional needs, programme financing and inclusion measures, including consideration for people with disabilities. TFE, also called Leri Fu Feni Wroko, is linked to VWA and an Inter-American Development Bank project on labour-market alignment with new industries. It uses demand assessments, participant matching, placement support and follow-up. A 2026 tender covered 14 entry-level profiles in agriculture and services connected with ICT and industrial maintenance. The planned delivery period was eight to ten months. Examples include an approximately eight-week warehouse-worker course for 18 participants, a five-month SHTTC Customer Experience Officer course in Nickerie for 53 participants, five tourism cohorts with more than 250 participants funded entirely by the state, and an ARVAS HVAC Technician Level 1 course running from December 2025 to May 2026. The HVAC course had 50 participants, including 10 women, was free and included an employment perspective. Adult education serves people aged 18 and above, including adults with limited literacy and people who left school early. The programmes teach literacy and numeracy and provide a second-chance pathway without turning this branch into regular vocational or tertiary education. In 2026, activities were planned at eight locations: Polanen school, Sunny Point, Copieweg, Godo Olo, Mooitaki, Moengo, Tout Lui Faut and the AVE department. The 2026 budget was SRD 2,625,000. The project period ran from 1 August 2024 to 1 August 2026, and access was temporarily affected when delayed teacher payments led to suspended or disrupted classes. Earlier records since 2016 counted 450 enrolled participants, including 97 men and 353 women. COVAB provides specialist and post-basic nursing programmes rather than general skills courses. A 2026 programme was part-time, lasted 18 months including practical placement and final assessment, and consisted of six periods of ten teaching weeks. Applicants needed a nursing diploma and confirmation from an employer that a placement could be arranged. Typical documents included photographs, a COVAB extract, copies of certificates or diplomas and the employer’s placement confirmation. The published offer did not state the fee, so the current COVAB notice must be checked. SIVIS provides union-based training, including basic, middle-management and higher-management courses, instructor training, HRM, shop-steward training, customer service and customised programmes. Participants generally need reading and writing skills. SIVIS describes its own recognition within the trade-union movement and the ILO context; its certificates are not stated to be recognised by MinOWC. A 2023 example lasted five days or 15 teaching hours and cost SRD 4,000, but that historical price should not be treated as a current general fee. EZOTI offers a three-day Basic Entrepreneurship Skills programme for people starting or continuing a business. Topics include cost calculation, the Business Model Canvas and administration. Courses may be offered in districts across Suriname. Other agricultural training has covered climate-resilient farming through a WUSC and SAC programme running from April to December 2025, with a closing event in Coronie on 31 January 2026. Fees depend on the specific announcement or programme; no general free entitlement is established. The Ministry of Labour describes continuous training as part of the right to work and as a policy duty. This does not establish a clear general, individually enforceable right to employer-funded training or paid study leave. Attendance, completion, assessment and placement duties depend on the provider and programme. Work-based learning and on-the-job training are intended to become more structured and legally supported, but the available evidence does not show that this system is fully established everywhere. Duration ranges from about five days for some short courses to 18 months for specialist nursing training. Public special programmes may cost nothing to participants, while regular courses can involve tuition, travel, devices, internet access and lost working time. District delivery and use of existing school buildings improve access outside Paramaribo, but available courses, admission windows and places remain dependent on cohorts, funding and local demand. Current admissions are not published through one central register, so applicants normally contact the provider directly. Upskilling is especially relevant for jobseekers, school dropouts, vulnerable groups, workers updating their skills, people entering care, tourism, ICT or industrial maintenance, and people developing a micro-enterprise. It also responds to expected oil and gas activity, economic diversification, climate change and digital change. Evidence for broad corporate training provision and uniform recognition across providers remains limited. A suitable choice therefore depends on the needed outcome: a short job-entry course, an employer-specific skill, a recognised SNTA qualification, prior-learning assessment, adult literacy support or specialist professional development.