Three cheers for UCC, UTech, VMBS, JNBS, JEF

[Karl]

Three cheers for UCC, UTech, VMBS, JNBS, JEF
HENLEY MORGAN
Thursday, February 28, 2008

In a country where the tendency is to complain about those things that are in need of fixing than to celebrate those things that are right, one can easily forget how blessed we are. Recent developments by and between some of Jamaica's most exemplary institutions give us reason to hope. In each case, institutions that normally adopt a competitive posture formed strategic alliances to make significant investments in the country's human and social capital.

Worthy of note is the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the University College of the Caribbean (UCC) and the University of Technology (UTech). The agreement will see the two institutions collaborating in a range of programmes and activities. The UCC, headed by the Caribbean's most entrepreneurial provider of educational services Winston Adams, and UTech, headed by world-renowned researcher in the field of health (prevention and management of diabetes) and educational trailblazer Errol Morrison, will collaborate in areas as diverse as programme development and delivery, programme certification, applied research, sports, sharing of facilities and articulation of programmes to ease the transfer of student credits. At the launch of the MOU attended by Minister of Education Andrew Holness, UCC president Mr Adams spoke words that wonderfully encapsulated the spirit of cooperation. "We recognise the far-reaching benefits to be derived from such cooperation and tangible action towards furtherance of the provision of tertiary educational services of the highest quality."

In the same vein, Jamaica's two mortgage giants and perennial rivals, Victoria Mutual Building Society and Jamaica National Building Society put the national interest above the legitimate competition for market share to form the Mutual Building Societies Foundation. A first for the English-speaking Caribbean, the foundation, a $100-million initiative, will provide financial and technical support in partnership with government towards transforming education. The centrepiece of the initiative will be the establishment of Centres of Excellence to lift the level of education by creating equity and balance throughout the secondary school system, particularly in rural Jamaica. Led respectively by two of Jamaica's most highly regarded professionals, Richard Powell and Earl Jarrett, VMBS and JNBS have in their pioneering work set an example for not just Jamaica but for the world to follow.

The Jamaica Employers' Federation (JEF) is the third example of an institution transcending partisan, parochial or special interests to put country first. Throughout the years, JEF has been party to numerous strategic alliances in its thrust to promote competitiveness, productivity, and growth in Jamaica. JEF, which is the representative voice for employers in Jamaica, enjoy partnerships with the labour unions, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, HEART Trust/NTA, private organisations, members of the international development community and with international organisations such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Possibly the most networked organisation in Jamaica, JEF recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. In the presence of Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who was the guest speaker, and a virtual 'who is who' of local and international dignitaries, JEF honoured the event with the launch of the Employers' Centre. The centre will cater to the needs of employers in developing a world-class workforce, so it is as much for those who possess capital as those who give their labour for hire. Again, where there is excellence, there will invariably be a visionary leader who defies the circumstances of the present. At JEF, that individual is Jacqueline Coke-Lloyd, a woman with a results-oriented attitude and enthusiasm to match.

Fed as we are on a steady diet of talk, empty posturing and bellyaching, organisations such as UCC, UTech, VMBS, JNBS and JEF - and the people who lead them - provide more than a glimpse of what can be achieved when we roll up our sleeves and execute. Three cheers for those creating a positive legacy for Jamaica, land we love.
- hmorgan@cwjamaica.com