UWI and MPA sign historic MoU to support skills development for public servants

UWI and MPA sign historic MoU to support skills development for public servants

St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. July 18 2024 – “We formalise the partnership between the campus and the Department of Public Administration, which represents an important step in establishing a framework for collaboration and developing a training programme for civil servants,” said Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Vice-Chancellor and Campus President of the University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine Campus, prior to signing the Memorandum of Understanding with Mr. Claudelle Mc Kellar, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration (MPA) on Monday, 8 July 2024. The signing ceremony took place at the Chancellor’s Office at the St Augustine Campus. The signing ceremony was attended by the Minister of Public Administration, Senator Allyson West, and representatives from the Department of Public Administration, the Ministry of Education and the University of the West Indies.

The MoU will create a framework for identifying and assessing the learning and development needs of the Trinidad and Tobago Public Service; and for developing and implementing customized, demand-driven courses to build capacity in the Public Service and promote continuous improvement in service delivery. The development and implementation of the Public Service Learning and Development Programme aims to significantly increase the capacity to deliver training courses to the Public Service through the Public Service Academy, a division of the MPA.

The first cohort of trainees will receive these online courses, targeting approximately 3,000 civil servants at all levels of the public service, including junior staff, middle management and senior managers, with the goal of training up to 9,000 civil servants per year in the program. Trainees will benefit from accredited undergraduate and postgraduate courses in subject areas including project management, policy development, leadership and conflict management, public sector management, monitoring and evaluation, social service management, business communication, digital literacy, facilities management, public speaking and event management. Courses will be taught by lecturers from the University of the West Indies.

At the signing ceremony, Minister of Public Administration, Senator the Honourable Allyson West, spoke of the importance of these fundamental partnerships in improving the quality of services across government. “The Department of Public Administration’s mission is to ensure that the public service works smoothly…it’s about fixing what’s broken, making things better, and continually improving. We can’t improve our staff’s performance unless we provide them with the necessary training to promote continuous improvement,” Minister West explained. She also spoke of other important initiatives the Department is developing, including a modernized electronic human capital management system that will assist with career planning and identification of training needs.

In her speech, the Vice-Chancellor highly praised the MPA and spoke of the importance of these educational partnerships for national development. “This partnership aims to equip civil servants with the necessary skills and expertise to meet the challenges of modern public service by providing comprehensive training and knowledge,” said Professor Antoine at the signing ceremony. She praised the initiative as the brainchild of Minister West. Professor Antoine also stressed that “the formalization of our partnership between the campus and the Ministry of Public Administration is an important step in establishing a framework for cooperation and establishing a public service training program. One of the main objectives is to support the modernization of the Public Service Academy, whose mission is to train and develop civil servants.”

The three-year MoU signed between the two institutions is part of UWI’s ongoing commitment to national development and builds on its more than 30-year history of supporting MPA through degree programmes and training workshops.

Notes to Editors

Photo 1: (left) The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Public Administration, Senator the Honourable Allyson West and Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus.

Photo 2: MPA Permanent Secretary, Mr. Claudelle Mc Kellar, and Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, signed the Memorandum of Understanding. In the presence of the Minister of Public Administration, Senator Allyson West.

Image 3: Front row (left) MPA Permanent Secretary Mr Claudelle Mc Kellar, Minister of Public Administration, Senator the Honourable Allyson West, UWI St Augustine Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, and representatives from UWI St Augustine and MPA.

Image 4: Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, delivered a speech at the signing ceremony.

About the University of the West Indies

The University of the West Indies has been a key force in all aspects of development in the Caribbean and has been at the heart of all efforts to improve the well-being of the people of the region for 75 years.

UWI began as University College London in Jamaica in 1948 with 33 medical students. Today, UWI is a global university of international renown with nearly 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona from Jamaica, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Mountain in Barbados, The five islands of Antigua and Barbuda and Global Campusand A global center established in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The University of the West Indies offers more than 1000 Certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options exist Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it has access to the largest pool of intellectual and professional knowledge in the Caribbean, working to address critical issues in our region and around the world.

The University of the West Indies is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the world by the most reputable ranking agencies. Times Higher Education). Since UWI first appeared in the Times Higher Education rankings in 2018, it has performed well across a number of categories, including the World University Rankings, the Golden Age University Rankings (50 to 80 years old), the Latin America Rankings and the Impact Rankings, which are noted for their response to the world’s greatest concerns, as outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including good health and well-being, gender equality and climate action.

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