Two people, one Institution, and a wider fight for vocational education

At the National Institute for Professional Advancement, leadership is shared between two people whose careers began in very different places.

Damali Bryson is an advanced practice nurse with specializations in leadership and management and nursing education. She joined NIPA in September 2019 as Change Manager, charged with revamping the nursing programs, and was appointed Adjunct Director by the end of 2021. Raymond Romney is a construction and architectural engineer, certified teacher and educational manager. He joined the institution in November 2022.

Their professional backgrounds reflect the range of NIPA itself. Romney supervises the technical and vocational programs, facilities management, information technology, scheduling and examinations. Bryson oversees the care programs, Hospitality and Culinary programs, finance, student success, internships and quality assurance.

Although their portfolios are separate, responsibility for NIPA’s daily operations is shared. They consult regularly and make major decisions together. For both, that arrangement offers a practical advantage. They can test ideas with each other, bring different perspectives to a problem and share the burden that comes with occupying the middle of an institution, where expectations come from both above and below.

“Two heads are often better than one,” they said, while acknowledging that shared leadership depends on constant communication, coordination and a clear understanding of who is responsible for what. The challenge before them, however, is larger than running schedules, programs and departments. They are also trying to change how St. Maarten views vocational education.

More than a second chance

NIPA is still sometimes regarded as a place for students who did not succeed elsewhere. Bryson and Romney do not reject the institution’s role in serving second-chance learners. They consider that work important. What they challenge is the belief that this is all NIPA is.

Most of its programs require students to have completed secondary education before enrolling. NIPA is also not a secondary school and does not fall under compulsory education. Its level is comparable to middelbaar beroepsonderwijs, or MBO, in the Netherlands.

That distinction is not always understood by students, parents or the wider community. Vocational education is sometimes treated as less valuable or incomplete when compared with an academic route. Bryson and Romney see it differently. They consider it relevant to a significant part of the population and essential to the development of St. Maarten’s workforce.

NIPA serves learners of different ages and backgrounds and gives them pathways into careers that contribute directly to the economy and society. A student choosing nursing, construction, culinary arts, hospitality or another practical field is not necessarily settling for less. That student may be choosing a clearer and more direct path toward skilled work. The difficulty is getting families and young people to see that before vocational education becomes a last option.

Enrolment and perception

NIPA’s leaders identified declining enrolment after secondary school as one of the institution’s most serious challenges. They described it as part of a wider global trend, but its local impact is significant. St. Maarten regularly speaks about shortages of qualified workers, yet fewer young people may be entering the very institutions intended to prepare them for those jobs.

The funding structure adds another layer to the problem. NIPA is a nonprofit organization subsidized by the Government of St. Maarten. The subsidy is based on student enrolment and is used mainly for faculty and staff salaries. It does not cover all operational costs. That means the institution must continually balance its needs against the money available, relying on planning, prioritization and careful allocation of resources.

Facilities, equipment, technology, student support and new programs all require funding. When enrolment declines, the institution may have less financial room at the same time it needs to invest more in recruitment, modernization and student success. Bryson and Romney do not suggest that NIPA is alone in facing such pressures. Their point is that the institution must make practical choices and cannot treat every need as though sufficient funding already exists.

The need for new programs

One criticism they consider fair is that NIPA has continued offering many of the same programs since its establishment. They agree that greater diversification is needed. Where they believe the public sometimes misunderstands the institution is in assuming that NIPA can simply identify a popular field and begin offering a course.

A new program requires evidence that the labour market needs it. Employers and other stakeholders must be consulted. A curriculum must be developed. Regulatory approval may be necessary. Qualified instructors, appropriate facilities, equipment and sustainable funding must all be in place.

Without those elements, a program may attract interest at launch but fail to provide the quality or continuity students deserve. The programs NIPA currently offers were selected in response to St. Maarten’s labour needs when the institution was established, and its leaders believe they remain relevant. Still, the labour market is constantly changing.

NIPA must continue reviewing its offerings and work with government, employers and industry partners to keep existing programs current and introduce new ones where demand can be demonstrated. That relationship with employers is especially important because vocational education depends on practical learning.

Bryson and Romney said NIPA is open to partnerships with businesses and organizations in every sector, provided the student’s learning remains the priority. An internship should not simply give a company an extra pair of hands. The workplace must allow students to meet learning objectives, develop skills and receive proper guidance. Employers often say they want work-ready graduates. NIPA’s position is that businesses must also help create them.

Nursing as the test case

The institution’s nursing program is now providing one example of what a stronger quality system can look like. NIPA was recently designated a pre-accredited candidate by the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation, known as NLN CNEA.

The status means the program has shown that it is ready to pursue full accreditation. It must now prove that its stated processes and standards are being applied consistently. The institution must collect evidence showing that it is doing what it says it is doing, evaluating the results and continuously improving the program.

Pre-accreditation is not the same as full accreditation.

It establishes NIPA as an official candidate and shows that the program has created a baseline aligned with NLN CNEA standards. Before the current period ends in 2029, NIPA must fully implement its systematic evaluation plan, collect and analyse the necessary data, document outcomes and show ongoing quality improvement.

The process is closely connected to Bryson’s own path at NIPA, which began with the assignment to revamp nursing. It also shows how much work happens behind a qualification. Policies must be applied in classrooms and clinical settings. Student outcomes must be monitored. Weaknesses must be corrected, and the institution must be able to prove that improvement is taking place. For students, the pre-accreditation status strengthens the credibility of the nursing program and shows that it is working toward internationally recognized standards.

It does not automatically guarantee that a graduate will be licensed, accepted for further study or have the diploma recognized in another country. Those decisions remain subject to the rules of the licensing, regulatory or educational authority in the jurisdiction where the graduate wishes to go. NIPA’s primary objective remains preparing students to enter the local labour market and contribute to healthcare in St. Maarten.

Building a culture of evidence

The accreditation process also confirmed weaknesses in documentation and data management, areas NIPA had already identified internally. The institution is strengthening how information is collected, stored and made available for analysis. That work is necessary for accreditation, but it also supports accountability, better decision-making and continuous improvement.

Documentation may sound removed from student life, but it helps NIPA answer important questions. Are students completing programs? Where are they struggling? Are graduates finding jobs? Are teaching methods working? Are changes producing better outcomes? Without reliable data, those questions are answered through assumptions rather than evidence.

Bryson and Romney believe the nursing program can become a model for the rest of the institution. Its experience shows the importance of clear standards, systematic evaluation, dependable records, stakeholder involvement and continuous improvement. Those lessons can strengthen quality assurance across NIPA and guide future efforts to achieve wider recognition or accreditation for other programs.

Five years from now

Within five years, Bryson and Romney want NIPA to be a household name. They want students, employers and the community to seek out the institution because its programs are trusted, relevant and connected to real opportunities. Their vision includes a well-established internal system for continuous quality improvement, stronger local and international recognition, and programs that continue responding to the workforce needs of St. Maarten.

They also want NIPA to expand its reach to Saba and St. Eustatius and to have achieved full NLN CNEA accreditation for its nursing program, or programs. Reaching that point will require consistent government support, meaningful private-sector partnerships, enough internships and employment opportunities for students, and greater recognition from the community of the value of vocational education.

The final requirement may prove the most difficult. Funding can be budgeted. Equipment can be purchased. Curricula can be developed. Public attitudes are harder to change. For years, vocational education has often been described as the route taken when a more academic path does not work out. NIPA is trying to establish another understanding: practical education can be a deliberate path into skilled employment, entrepreneurship and professional growth.

Bryson and Romney approach that work from different fields, but the purpose is shared. They must manage the institution as it exists today while building the systems it will need tomorrow. They must acknowledge fair criticism, explain the limits within which NIPA operates and keep pushing for higher standards.

Most of all, they must help convince St. Maarten that the measure of education is not whether every student follows the same route. It is whether that route gives the student a real future.

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