The Anguilla Community College (ACC) is in the process of developing its Strategic Plan and recently held an important Stakeholder Consultation as part of this exercise. The consultation occurred on Wednesday, June 9, at the Rodney MacArthrur Rey Auditorium and the objective of the Stakeholder Consultation was to aid in the preparation of the ACC’s five-year Strategic Plan 2021-2026.
The Stakeholder Consultation was attended by about 30 persons including ACC’s Board, staff, faculty and alumni, the Minister and Permanent Secretary of Education, the Chief Education Officer, as well as education, hospitality and business professionals and partners. It was facilitated by an experienced, three-person team who had conducted similar work for the Department of Youth and Culture, the Anguilla Red Cross, and the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce (ACOCI). The team comprised Ms Farah Mukhida, Director of the National Trust, Mr Lenox ‘Joash’ Proctor, Clerk to the Anguilla House of Assembly, and Mr Quincy Harrigan, the Immediate past Dean of Studies at the ACC who prior to his retirement also held the post of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Youth, Culture and Sports.
The President of the College, Dr Kenneth Williams, first presented a review of the ACC’s Operational Master Plan which provided some foundation for the direction of the College, but which was now somewhat outdated having been completed five (5) years previously. The President noted that resourcing to allow the College to execute on strategy was key. Dr Williams also succinctly outlined the usefulness of the Stakeholder Consultation by describing the difference between ‘managing’ and ‘strategic planning’ – explaining that management typically focused on ‘solving today’s problems’, whereas strategic leadership looked to ‘fulfilling tomorrow’s needs’.
and Mr Quincy Harrigan
Mr Quincy Harrigan then helped participants outline the usefulness of Anguilla Community College as well as identify the challenges faced. Participants agreed that some of the key uses of the Anguilla Community College were to provide affordable access to tertiary education, a stepping-stone to university, and an avenue for continuing personal and professional development. Challenges identified included perceptions that a local college was not ‘good enough’ or that its programmes were not relevant or too limited, and that the training and certification offered were often not required for gaining employment locally and thus there was limited incentive to attend college.
The facilitators then conducted a PEST (political, economic, socio-cultural and technological) analysis which generated significant debate and identified critical areas for further analysis and strategy development. Team Leader, Ms Farah Murkhida, noted that the next step would be for the major themes – raised through the consultation – to be examined by a smaller group of persons for the development of actionable strategies to achieve the goals, address the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities identified through the Stakeholder Consultation. She noted that the role of the team was primarily facilitation, as it was critical for the ACC as an organisation to take ownership not only of the process but also of the Strategic Plan. The President, Dr Williams, confirmed that the ACC was fully invested in the development and execution of the Strategic Plan once complete. He indicated that completion was planned for prior to the end of the third quarter – and that the Strategic Plan would shape the ACC’s budget process for the upcoming financial year 2022.
For more information about the Anguilla Community College, call (264) 476-8395 or email info@acc.edu.ai
– Press Release
