TWENTY-SIX professionals from the public and private sectors were awarded the Professional Certificate in Organisation Development (PCOD) offered by corporate training and consultancy entity, the Caribbean Centre for Organisation Development Excellence (CARI-CODE) in partnership with the University of Technology, Jamaica. The certificates were presented at a virtual commencement ceremony hosted by CARI-CODE. The professional certificate programme is offered to professionals who have a minimum of a first degree or at least one year’s supervisory level working experience.

Dr Jeanette Bartley-Bryan, Associate Vice President, Open and Distance Learning, UTech, Jamaica, in explaining the nature of the university’s collaboration with CARI-CODE Limited, noted that this public-private partnership was formed through an academic agreement in 2019. The arrangement allows CARI-CODE to retain ownership of its course, with the academic quality assurance of its content and delivery standards approved by the University of Technology, Jamaica as partnering institution.

Dr Bartley-Bryan indicated that this type of “win-win” partnership with an independent training organisation enables the expansion of the range of professional short courses available for increasing the knowledge, competencies and employment opportunities of the workforce and ultimately enhances national development.

She also noted that credits earned from programmes such as the PCOD are transferable to similar courses of study at UTech, Jamaica. Through this academic agreement, participants who have completed the Professional Certificate in Organisation Development are awarded joint certification by UTech, Jamaica and CARI-CODE.

Ilsa duVerney, CEO of CARI-CODE, in her welcome, noted that the 12-week programme highlights “lean processes and innovation as a vital element for transformation and development”. She highlighted the importance of the organisational development certification in human capacity building, pointing out that, “in the new world of digitisation and robotics, we develop people.”

“Innovation solutions emanate from human beings, and organisation development prepares our human resource to help design and to create those solutions,” she added.

She noted that emphasis is placed on “understanding context, and our history, which are critical to moving into the desired future we seek to create.” She also noted that the certification seeks to “future-proof” enterprises by enabling employees to develop agility, integrity and acuity (sensitivity, emotional intelligence and sharpness of vision), which will assist organisations to thrive during systemic changes to the business landscape.

Guest speaker at the commencement ceremony, Dr Haldane Johnson, Acting Deputy President, UTech, Jamaica, in his address, urged the graduates to commit to serving as examples for others, as they seek to make a positive impact as organisation development practitioners. He exhorted the graduates to adopt the University of Technology, Jamaica’s core values of respect, accountability, integrity, service, excellence, innovation and team spirit, noting that “excellence is something pursued, and there is always room for improvement.”

Dr Johnson also congratulated CARI-CODE on being “cognisant of the importance of using cutting edge organisation development to address some of the issues and challenges faced by organisations in the 21st century”, including financial uncertainty, local and international competition, greater demand for accountability and transparency, and greater demand for excellence in customer service.” Dr Johnson also praised the programme for its “competency-based approach”, which included hands-on, experiential training and assessment based on real world situations that were evidence-based and data-driven.