The Anguilla Community Collegeis in the process of promoting its various courses. At the same time, the tertiary institution is also advertising that its tuition fees are in fact relatively low and therefore geared to attract wide student enrolment.
“We have some boxes here saying three US dollars a day. Essentially, many of the courses we offer, when you boil it down to three months, and you look at the cost, it works out at three US dollars a day.” That was told to The Anguillian by Registrar of the College, Carla Harris. She was speaking at a marketing event put on by the College on the grounds of the Post Office on August 17.
“We are saying to persons desirous of being students to give yourself the flexibility, the upward mobility, by doing the courses that the Anguilla Community College offers,” she continued. “We offer Associate Degrees in Hospitality, Business and also in Information Technology. We also have a number of short courses, as well, to improve yourself generally – what we call enrichment courses for the whole society. These include easy entertaining, photography, graphic and web design which can enrich your life and improve your marketability as well. Come and talk to us.”
Earlier, Maris Edwards, Marketing Consultant for the Community College and a Lecturer in Communications and English for Tertiary Purposes, said that the new lifestyle courses, as she called the short-term studies, were one of the college’s marketing ventures. “The lifestyle courses basically are to encourage persons to explore the art of living,” she explained. “These are mini courses that range from a few hours to about two weeks and they are to equip persons… in a way that makes them distinctive:give them special skills in areas like art, photography, technology, design and culinary arts.
“For example, in the upcoming semester we are going to do photo pro to help the average person to take and compose better photos and how to choose your subject and so forth. We also have tech savvy which is to help persons optimise the use of their smart tools – their BlackBerries, I-phones for added efficiency in business and communications. Most people have smart tools but they only use may be a quarter of the features. Then we have easy entertainment, a mini course that, for example, teaches persons to plan, cook and throw a creative together for friends and families.
“Those persons who have degrees might feel that they do not need to do anything at the Community College. But these courses would have some sort of appeal to everybody – those with or without a degree. It is basically to help them top up their skills.”
Meanwhile, Director of Hospitality at the College, Sharon Richardson, said a number of persons were enrolled in the Associate Degree programme in Hospitality Studies and a second batch would be admitted this coming September. This particular course is geared to provide training for persons who might eventually become involved in Anguilla’s tourism industry.
President of the Anguilla Community College, Professor Delroy Louden, commented on the institution’s new marketing efforts. “The drive is to further alert Anguillians that we intend to meet their needs at all levels of education that we can,” he stressed.“This is whether it is practical courses like electricity and plumbing, or academic courses like business, gerontology (the scientific study of aging and its effects and working with the elderly), early childhood education and hospitality.”
Professor Louden went on: “We need a strong outreach programme to make it clear to members of the public that we are here to serve them. We are grateful to the Government of Anguilla for continuing to support us in this fiscally-difficult time. But we, too, are trying to raise our own resources so that we can support and serve the people of Anguilla better – in a wider area – and become more creative in our offerings. We offer them evening, weekends and special days of the week for courses. We will not knowingly turn you away because of your inability to pay.”
