By Sir Ronald SandersWhen the door to migration narrows, the long-standing mismatch between education and economic absorption is no longer abstract; a country’s true immigration policy becomes domestic — how many jobs it can create, and how quickly it can match people to them. For decades, outward migration absorbed part of the Caribbean’s internal economic pressure — unemployment, underemployment, low wages, limited domestic markets, and frustrated professionals. That reality turns attention to an issue Caribbean states have too often postponed: whether their education output aligns with their development needs. Even in the three CARICOM countries not yet affected, education should now be regarded as an integral part of economic policy. Weak linkages among firms, universities, and training institutions compound the problem, leaving education and enterprise operating in parallel rather than in partnership.