University of the Caribbean is here!

Vincentians need not spend exorbitant amounts of money for a quality tertiary level education any more as the University College of the Caribbean (UCC) has arrived.{{more}}

Founded in 2004, UCC came into being following a merger between the Institute of Management Sciences and the Institute of Management and Production and has now grown to become the largest private tertiary level institution in Jamaica.

And now, persons here are also eligible to join the over 5,000 students who have already started the journey with a long distance programme that is flexible and affordable and according to Errol Holmes, Project Manager at UCC, an education that will provide knowledge and skills to help students succeed within a world community.

Their range of programmes cover local Associate and Bachelor degrees and overseas Bachelor and Masters degree programmes offered in partnership with internationally recognized institutions such as the Florida International University and the University of London.

It is primarily a business school, however Bachelor’s degrees can also be attained in the areas of human resource management, tourism and hospitality management and law.

But perhaps the unique feature of the UCC is that it offers people here and around the region the opportunity to acquire a university level education that is affordable and flexible.

“Education is a business – a multibillion dollar business – but also it is a product,” Holmes said at the launching ceremony held on June 17.

“We have taken the concept of satisfying the customer and taken it to higher education,” he continued.

But perhaps the one unique factor that the UCC courses offer to long distance students is the combination of online and a formal in-classroom setting, which will allow for students to interact with an instructor.

This is the one element that has been missing from the traditional long distance programmes that have been offered in the past, said Marlon Stevenson, representative of CIDL, and the local agent for UCC.

Stevenson noted that in the past, students were not be able to complete course work as there was no one for them to interface with.

However Stevenson said that he was of the opinion that there must be a system set up where the needs of the students are addressed and “we (CIDL) will be your interface.”

“We have a mandate to see people succeed and we are prepared to go the extra mile,” Stevenson said. (DD)