THE University College of the Caribbean (UCC) and Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) have established a formal partnership with the signing of a memorandum of understanding, which sees UCC committing to support the national imperative of the development of the maritime and logistics sectors locally.

This will be done by expanding the opportunities available through training to the Jamaican labour force and businesses, to take advantage of the growth in employment, trade and commerce anticipated from Jamaica’s positioning as a logistics hub.

Under the partnership, UCC will now offer CMI’s diploma in international shipping and logistics and, associate of applied science in industrial systems operations and maintenance. Both programmes are two-year programmes which will be offered full-time and part-time commencing January 2014 at UCC’s main campus at Worthington Avenue. Students who successfully complete the first two years at UCC will continue for an additional two years at CMI to earn the respective bachelor of science degrees.

“For UCC, this relationship with CMI will not only enhance our academic offerings but also strategically place UCC as one of the primary trainers of employees in the logistics field, a timely addition given the Jamaican government’s plans to position the country as a major logistics hub,” said Dr Winston Adams, UCC executive chairman and president. “We appreciate the confidence that CMI has shown in establishing this partnership.”

In welcoming the UCC to the growing list of CMI partners, CMI Executive Director Dr Fritz Pinnock said it is in the nation’s interest that CMI collaborates with other quality tertiary institutions to equip the labour force with the skill sets required to better facilitate national development.

“Through this partnership, CMI and UCC are providing access to a greater number of students who will be able to find jobs in a booming trillion dollar global industry,” he said.

The diploma in international shipping is designed to equip personnel with management skills in shipping and operations, while, the industrial systems operations and maintenance programme is designed to equip participants with the requisite skills and knowledge for the safe and economical operation of most machinery and equipment used in industrial plants and facilities. Both programmes are accredited by the University Council of Jamaica.

The UCC president noted that there are plans to offer additional CMI programmes in the near future. He also highlighted that in addition to the university’s recent addition of a masters programme in engineering management in collaboration with Florida International University, the college will, in 2014,l be introducing several other related programmes jointly with other international universities. This he stated will increase the opportunity for labour force development while leveraging the expertise of local and international partner institutions.

Born out of co-operation between the Government of Jamaica and the government of the Kingdom of Norway to train professional seafarers, CMI has extended its reach globally and is today recognised as a centre of excellence for tertiary education in the areas of logistics, engineering, maritime, shipping and immigration. The CMI enjoys recognition by Caricom as the preferred centre for regional maritime education and training and the status of being the only internationally approved, ISO 9001:2008 certified maritime education and training institution in Jamaica.

From left, Vivette Grant, deputy executive director at CMI; Dr Grantley Sinclair, dean, School of Business and Management, UCC; Dr Mark Bloomfield, registrar, CMI; Dr Dameon Black, deputy president, UCC and Vinette Rowe, interim marketing director, UCC, look on while Dr Fritz Pinnock (front left), executive director of CMI and Dr. Winston Adams, president of UCC make the partnership official.