SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER, 2017 – UWI TODAY
3
EDITORIAL TEAM
CAMPUS PRINCIPAL
Professor Brian Copeland
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Dr Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill
EDITOR
Vaneisa Baksh • email:
CONTACT US
The UWI Marketing and Communications Office
Tel: (868) 662-2002, exts. 82013 / 83997 or email:
GUEST MESSAGE
C O S T A A T T w a s
established
in October
2000 as a multi-campus
c ommun i t y c o l l e g e .
While other Caribbean
islands had adapted and
introduced the north
American model into
their higher education
systems since the 1960s,
Trinidad and Tobago
had relied on The UWI
and a range of technical
institutes to meet human
resource development needs. Almost two decades and
15,000 graduates later, there can be no denying the
transformative impact of COSTAATT on the national
educational landscape. Understanding the role and value
of the community college in the creation of a diversified,
integrated and responsive higher education system is still
however, a work in progress,
In the USA, community colleges account for over 45%
of students pursuing higher education studies. Affordability,
responsiveness and social value are three hallmarks of
the community college model adopted and adapted by
countries as diverse as South Africa, Chile and Japan.
Known as “democracy’s college” in the US, community
colleges are a major engine for promoting social equity by
ensuring that all citizens who have the aptitude for tertiary
level studies are provided with alternate pathways and
multiple opportunities to realise their potential, enhance
socio-economic mobility and improve their quality of life.
Parents and self-financing adults are able to lower the
cost of obtaining a bachelor’s degree by enrolling in their
local community college and completing an associate
degree which, through articulation and transfer agreements
with universities, can count for up to two years of a four-
year bachelor’s degree programme. Agreements between
community colleges and universities enable universities
to reduce programme delivery costs for undergraduate
education and focus more funding and resources on
The Role of the
Community College
strengthening post-graduate studies and research.
Responsiveness is perhaps the most valuable asset that
community colleges bring to a nation’s higher education
agenda. Their comprehensive mission empowers them
to offer a wide range of programmes, including career
education programmes for direct employment after
graduation, transfer programmes that articulate with
bachelor’s degrees, community education programmes and
services which respond to specific needs of the community
where the campus is located, professional education and
continuing education, and customised training which is
often done in consultation and collaboration with private
sector firms and state agencies who need to re-skill or upskill
their employees. For students, the associate degree enhances
their employability by combining rigorous technical-
vocational training with a general education component
that addresses the soft skills so in demand by employers.
Community colleges are critical enablers for students who,
for diverse and valid reasons have not attained the required
subjects to pursue tertiary level studies, a second chance
at tertiary education access and success. At COSTAATT,
our signature developmental education programme,
COMPASS, has been the decisive factor in helping the
thousands of students who annually fail to achieve a full
CSEC pass acquire the necessary academic foundations
to pursue the career of their choice. At the national and
community level, the College has a record of designing and
delivering programmes to meet specific needs and this has
ensured the institution’s continued relevance and viability,
even in challenging economic circumstances.
As a nation, we have been successful in achieving a
65% participation rate in tertiary education and can boast
of having amore diverse range of public and private tertiary
education providers. Each institution is committed to its
mission and continued growth but the long-held goal of
an integrated and efficient national education system that
facilitates seamless movement for students from one level
to the other is still to be achieved. As we look forward to
celebrating our 20th anniversary in 2020, COSTAATT is
resolved to creating the types of linkages that will bring us
closer to achieving that goal.
Dr. Gillian Paul is President of the College of Science,
Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT).
B Y G I L L I A N P A U L
Graduation
JOY
