APPLICATIONS are now open at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus for a groundbreaking online course in transformational leadership to equip Caribbean leaders and technical managers in the public and private sector, as well as civil society and development organisations, to implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the region.

The course was launched at The UWI Regional Headquarters on February 8 by vice-chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles.

Under an existing memorandum of understanding, The UWI Open Campus has partnered with PEMANDU Associates of Malaysia to develop the certificate course on transformational leadership to achieve the SDGs. Other partners for the course include the Caribbean Development Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The short-term continuing and professional education 40-hour course covers core elements from the field of leadership, results-based management, sustainable development, and the execution of inter-sectoral projects in support of SDGs.

Pro vice-chancellor and principal of the Open Campus, Dr Luz Longsworth, has described the course as an extraordinary partnership.

“We signed off on this partnership in September, and already this remarkable course is bearing fruit. The UWI Open Campus is delighted to offer the course online, and we are excited at the prospect of equipping the region’s leaders to implement the SDGs as we take significant steps towards ensuring that we meet the 2030 goals,” she said.

The customised certificate course is uniquely designed to bring together the expertise of The UWI faculty and the specialised knowledge and practical experience of PEMANDU Associates by going beyond the ‘what’ of the SDGs agenda to focus more specifically on building technical capacity.