A new associate degree in logistics management is among a slew of new educational programmes which have been initiated by the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ).

The course, which has been developed in collaboration with the Canada-based Niagara College, will be offered by Excelsior Community College in Kingston.

The curriculum will provide students with professional certification in supply chain management.

This and other programmes were officially launched January 5 during a ceremony at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston.

The others are associate of science degrees in social work, automobile repairs, engineering and criminal justice.

Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites welcomed the new programmes, noting that the CCCJ, through the launch, is developing skills and competencies through quality education and training.

He noted that people now have the opportunity to gain new skills and certification in areas which are now in demand.

“These are useful and beneficial programmes for people choosing a first-time career, those adults seeking to improve their marketability by changing their professions or by adding another certifiable skill in response to the changing economy,” the minister said.

He further emphasised the importance of the community college movement, noting that these institutions are no longer the “second cousins of the education system”.

“We have to flip the system decisively. Academic competencies are important, but they are no higher up the hierarchy of achievement than the practical and technical skills which the community colleges offer,” he said.

In her overview, executive director of the CCCJ Dr Donna Powell-Wilson noted that the programmes are highly applied, and allow learners to be better prepared for careers by facilitating on-the-job training and improving their personal knowledge and skills.

“At the CCCJ, we believe in partnering with industry personnel. If we are to make the National Development Plan, Vision 2030 a reality, which is to make Jamaica a place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business, then we have to provide the educational support that will allow our citizens to be able to provide for themselves in many ways, so that they can achieve that goal,” she said.

For his part, vice president, student external relations, Niagara College and CEO, Niagara College Foundation, Sean Kennedy, said he is “most impressed with the work of the CCCJ,” noting the critical nature at the role community colleges will play in fulfilling the Vision 2030 goals.

“The work that community colleges do has never been more important. We are in the human development business and if we do our job right, our communities get stronger, our economy gets stronger (and) employment opportunities for our young people improve,” he argued.

Kennedy said he is anticipating that the logistics management programme, in particular, will be very popular with students looking to enter “this very exciting field of management, as Jamaica becomes a global hub for shipping and logistics.”

“We at Niagara College look forward to a long-term partnership in creating a logistics centre of excellence and several related educational initiatives with Excelsior and the community colleges of Jamaica,” he said.

Excelsior Community College will be the lead college in the logistics management programme, and when fully developed, the programme will be offered by all eight community colleges in the island.

The CCCJ is a statutory agency under the Ministry of Education which supervises and co-ordinates the work of community colleges in Jamaica.

There are eight affiliate colleges under the grouping — five of them community colleges and the other three multi-disciplinary colleges. In addition, there are associate colleges — Anguilla Community College and Turks and Caicos Island Community Colleges.

Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites (left) has a light exchange with Canadian High Commissioner Robert Ready and chairman of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica Quince Francis (right). (PHOTO: JIS)