Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/4051/-1/140/
|
Community College Unit Opens
|
A further step towards the establishment of a tertiary education institution in Anguilla was taken on Tuesday, October 31, with the ceremonial opening and dedication of a Community College Development Unit. The facility is housed in the Cannonball Building on the Airport Road which was used over the years for certain private sector services.
|
|
Project Director, Dawn Reid
|
The building, which has been renovated and provided with training rooms, offices and other facilities, was dedicated by Methodist Supernumerary Minister, Reverend Cecil Weekes. The unit, previously accommodated in the Ministry of Social Development, was established in August this year to guide the implementation of the master plan and other action plans for the Community College.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Project Director and Education Planner, Dawn Reid, said work had been in progress over the past four to five years in investigating the feasibility of a National Community College and identifying the training areas of greatest need. In February this year a Steering Group was established to accelerate the process, given the urgent needs in the tourism sector.
The group was mandated to take forward any short-term plans for professional and vocational training to support the hospitality and construction areas planned in the longer term for the establishment of a full-time community college. The membership of the group comprises both private and public representation. The task of its members included advising on: the location of the college, implications for the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, the legal framework for setting up a college, the financial implications and phasing of the project.
Mrs. Reid was pleased that the Steering Group was able to organise a programme of hospitality training which began last month and is continuing with the assistance of a hospitality consultant recruited with the help of the Caribbean Development Bank. The consultant identified specific needs of the tourism sector and recommended a short-term solution while the necessary infrastructure for a community college was being put in place.
|
|
Officials at the Opening Ceremony
|
The first one-week certified seminar, which formalised the beginning of the interim programme for the college, was held in October at Paradise Cove Resort. Mrs. Reid was delighted that the second such seminar, in Event Planning and Management, a third one in Food and Beverage Management, were now taking place over a two-week period at the unit’s rented premises. The lecturer is Anderson Murray from the Barbados Community College.
Minister of Social Development, Evans Rogers, described the opening of the Community College Development Unit as “a blessed moment for all in Anguilla,” noting the labour problems being experienced in the hospitality and construction industries. “I consider the current seminars as baby steps but from those steps we are going to make giant leaps in the future,” the Minister stated.
Mr. Rogers continued: “The Government is committed to having a tertiary training institution in Anguilla. It is going to cost a lot of money but at the end of the day, the money it is going to cost us will be a lot cheaper [than later] if we don’t embark on such a programme now. Establishing a permanent site for the college is going to be a challenge, but with our commitment and dedication to such a project, I am sure we are going to overcome those challenges. As a matter of fact we should turn those challenges into opportunities for the benefit of a lot of Anguillians who will participate in the programmes.”
The Minister thanked the staff members of the unit for the phenomenal job they were doing. “I am sure it takes a bit of vision, courage and a lot of long hours to be able to reach as far as we have got and to go to where we want to,” he added.
Working with Mrs Reid, the Project Director, are Sharon Richardson, Hospitality Coordinator and Bernice Edwards, Executive Assistant.
Those who attended the ceremony included Governor Andrew George, Minister of Finance Victor Banks, Permanent Secretaries and other Government officials in the various Ministries and staff of the unit. The Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association was represented by Executive Director, Trudy Dixon.