President of the University of Technology (UTech) Professor Stephen Vasciannie is working for the institution of learning to be more focused on research and innovation as a means to facilitate national development.

Speaking at the 47th Annual University Awards Ceremony held at UTech recently, Professor Vascianne said that it was his aim, when joining the institution, for efforts to be redoubled for the continuation of contributions to national growth. He commended members of faculty who have contributed to undertaking research and publishing work that are aligned with addressing key national goals. He stated that the institution has also partnered with several governmental agencies and private sector organisations over the years to meet these objectives, such as the PetroCaribe Development Fund project in February for the implementation of a training component for renewable energy — a project at the Glenmuir High school in Clarendon.In March, he said, another partnership was signed between the School of Engineering and the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica which was aimed at creating at least four researches annually that would facilitate capacity building in engineering and renewable energy“I encourage UTech lecturers to continue to place themselves in a position to undertake independent research and to keep up with the latest developments in their respective fields. And, as I noted before, I pledge to continue the effort to drive and promote a research thrust at our university, keeping in our sights the facts that research is competitive and global,” Professor Vasciannie said.He added that UTech has been encouraged by the Government to delve into further projects that have long-term implications for the Jamaican economy. He said that the Government had also urged UTech to create a proposal on infrastructural development for the engineering aspect of business process management.“The Government of China has offered scholarships to five of our students, the details of which will be announced. We have collaborated with various entities such as Nestle, NCB, Courts, among others, in relation to the career plans and personal development of our students. The university will benefit from a grant with the Development Bank of Jamaica. Designed to promote business incubators, this grant will assist in the development of UTech’s Technology Innovation Centre,” Professor Vasciannie stated.He also commended those who have worked hard in the area of sports and have continued to represent and highlight the work of UTech in maximising the potential of athletes through initiatives such as the UTech Classics, while praising those who have been accommodated by the institution.“Our student Elaine Thompson’s successful exploits include World and Olympic titles and various other glorious victories. Also, at the 2017 Penn Relays our student athletes again performed well, with some of them setting personal records. UTech’s continued high performance and global public image in all of these areas can only accrue to the benefit of the institution in attracting greater investment of resources and funding by both local and overseas partners,” the UTech top man said.Professor Vasciannie addressed the issue of accreditation, which had many students worried about the fate of their degree programmes. However, he provided reassurance that this was being dealt with.“The university is going through the process of accreditation — a process that will ultimately enhance the standing of the university’s degrees and other qualifications. This process continues to be a priority. The university continues to work with the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) on this issue. In recent months, the UCJ has also undertaken a number of accreditation visits for specific degree programmes,” he noted.He said that the way forward is for focus to be placed on continuing to improve on “student friendliness” by ensuring that they are well supported, increasing research and increasing productive partnership, and the management of scarce resources.