By Ayanna Kirton, Staff ReporterINSTITUTE OF Management Sciences and the Institute of Management and Production (IMS/IMP) will launch the Caribbean's first university college on January 23, 2004.
The new institution, the University College of the Caribbean (UCC) is the first privately owned university college in the region, and will be the parent entity of the IMS/IMP located at Worthington Avenue in St. Andrew.
The UCC reflects a widening of the scope of IMS/IMP and will provide a range of training and educational opportunities as well as consulting services for Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals.
There will be an emphasis on the continuation of existing partnerships with foreign educational institutions such as the University of London and the Florida International Univer-sity and students will be given the opportunity to pursue higher levels of education at these affiliate campuses.
ACCESS
According to the president and CEO of IMS/IMP, Winston Adams, the new UCC will make education at the tertiary level more accessible to Jamaicans since entry requirements would not be as rigorous as those for traditional universities.
The president also said that the increase in education and training programs would not result in any increase in the cost of education at IMS/IMP.
In response to the demand by regional students for courses geared toward the utilisation of new technology in the various industries, the UCC will export courses throughout the Carib-bean in the form of establishing a presence in other islands.
ONLINE COURSES
These students will be able to participate and complete courses online or by other traditional teaching methods. There will also be an emphasis on developing close contact with appropriate businesses to which courses are related to give UCC students a comprehensive learning experience, particularly in workplace standards and practices.
The university college concept originated in the Canadian educational system. It is defined as an institution that attempts to amalgamate many of the functions of a university and a college. It is a hybrid of some of the functions of a university and a traditional college and offers a comprehensive range of programmes from certificates to higher degrees with its main focus being at the baccalaureate degree or diploma level in the applied areas.
