There is a new opportunity for persons in Anguilla, with various skills, to further their studies at an international institution through theAnguillaCommunity College. That prospect is being provided by City & Guilds, aUnited Kingdominstitute, with a world-wide presence and recognition.
This week, Ms. Katerina Tsiplacis, Sales and Business Development Manager, at City & Guilds Caribbean Office inBarbados, was inAnguillato discuss the new educational opportunities. She held talks with officials in the Ministry of Education, the Community College and top personnel at a number of departments.
It is being arranged for the courses to be facilitated by theAnguillaCommunity College, as the centre, in cooperation with theInstituteofRecognised Qualificationsat the University of Technology (UTECH) inJamaica, and City & Guilds. Dean at the Community College, Bernard Wattley, said Professor Gossett Oliver, Vice President for Graduate Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship at UTECH, was inAnguillarecently in connection with the City & Guilds arrangements which had already reached the stage of a Memorandum of Understanding.
Ms. Tsiplacis visited The Anguillian on Monday this week for an interview on the work of City & Guilds and its plans forAnguilla. “We provide vocational education and training,” she stated. “We have over 300 programmes in many subject areas such as business support skills, engineering, hair and beauty, hospitality and catering, construction, etc.
“We are a UK-founded organisation – but have a global presence – offering qualifications at many branches and centres all over the world. More recently, in April, 2011, we opened an office inBarbadosto serve the entire Caribbean and theAmericas. My role, as the Sales Manager, is to travel across the region promoting our qualifications and also to build improved relations with our existing providers. Our largest market is focused in Trinidad andJamaicawhere we offer many of our engineering and business support skills.
“I am here to visitAnguillabecause the Community College is very proud to announce the delivery of our qualifications in skills efficiency, teacher training and vocational subjects. Hopefully, later on, there may be the possibility for the Community College to deliver the City & Guilds electrical installation, hospitality training and business support skills. I had a very positive meeting with Mr. Wattley and key members of staff at the College. It was wonderful to meet them and discuss their plans and progress and there are very nice facilities at the College.”
The City & Guilds Caribbean Office Sales and Business Development Manager was asked how the courses would be administered. “For our qualifications, we approve a centre and this could be a college, a workplace, a hotel or anywhere else where persons could be trained,” she replied.
“We have assessors to assess them, and we would ensure that they meet the standards to be certified students. We would give authority to the deliverer, for example the Community College. They would ensure, as they have already done, that there are tutors in place to deliver the courses – and we would ensure that the delivery is being followed according to the syllabuses that we offer. We would also send an external verifier from the region, at least once a year, to check everything in terms of our quality assurance process.
“We offer a wide range of qualifications, and within each qualification area there are levels. For example, in hospitality catering, someone might want to study culinary arts and that would begin at either certificate level, diploma level or advanced diploma level. We also go on to higher qualifications and that could range to management level.”
In terms of costs, and other related matters, the City & Guilds official explained that in delivering the institution’s programmes the Community College, andnotCity& Guilds, would be paid directly by the students.
She was asked about the length of courses. “Business support skills, for example, could vary from one or two months to advanced diplomas which could be two years, so it completely depends on which course you are interested in,” she explained. “If someone is already working in that field that person may finish the course a lot quicker than another individual. It all depends on the course and the individual’s capacity and skills.”
Meanwhile, President of theAnguillaCommunity College, Professor Delroy Louden, welcomed thenew City& Guilds educational initiatives and was delighted with another linkage with an international institute.
He took the opportunity to renew his call on the Anguilla Government to pass the long-delayed Education Bill in the House of Assembly. He noted the importance of the legislation with respect to vocational and technical education, and the fact that many of the programmes covered under those areas of tutorship and learning, were being offered by City & Guilds.
