The UWI Open Campus and CCLEC Collaborate on Capacity Building Training

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Open Campus, British Overseas Territories is collaborating with the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council (CCLEC) in the training of regional officers. As part of this capacity-building initiative, The UWI Open Campus delivered a specialised Train-the-Trainer Workshop on September 15th and 16th, 2021 for some 40 senior Customs Officers from across the region.

The Workshop was aimed at assisting the select officers in the development of competency skills to become qualified trainers within their departments and in the delivery of CCLEC online courses among member countries. Participating countries included Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Kitts/Nevis, and the Turks & Caicos Islands.

The Workshop was designed and developed by Dr Beverly Shirley, Programme Officer for the The UWI Open Campus, British Overseas Territories (BOTs) and delivered by Dr Pearlyn Henry-Burrell, Senior Policy Advisor &, and Manager for Early Childhood Care Education, Ministry of Education, Cayman Islands, Mr William Iton, GENOS certified practitioner specializing in Emotional Intelligence Leadership Assessment and Development and Dr Roger Nesbeth, Senior Human Resource Officer at The UWI Open Campus. He is an experienced educator/administrator with over thirty-eight years’ service in education and general management. Topics covered during the Workshop included Instructional Design, Leading Learning, Lesson Planning, Assessment and Evaluation, as well as Emotional Intelligence and Effective Communication.

Commenting on the workshop, Mr Albert Sandy, Permanent Secretary, CCLEC stated, “This train-the-trainer programme is critical in the development of the training skills of a cadre of regional officers. Acquisition of skill, knowledge, and expertise provides the basis for the efficient and effective management of the operations of any organization. With limited resources to hire external experts, it is especially significant for small developing countries to develop their skills and become less reliant on external support. By all accounts, the workshop achieved its goal, and the participants acquired the knowledge and skills to become effective trainers.”

“I am thankful to The UWI Open Campus team, in particular Dr Beverly Shirley and Dr Phyllis Fleming-Banks and the cadre of professional, scholarly lecturers, for making the excellent delivery and collaboration achieved. CCLEC looks forward to building on this initiative to enhance the capacity and professionalism of the regional Customs,” he added.

Manager for The UWI Open Campus British Overseas Territories, Dr Phyllis Fleming-Banks applauded CCLEC for embarking on the capacity-building training and thanked Mr Sandy and his team for choosing to partner with The UWI Open Campus. “Given our mandate to assist in the development of our national resources, we are delighted to be part of this important initiative to ensure that the Customs departments across the region are equipped with the skills and competencies to meet their organisational goals in a rapidly-changing and challenging environment,” she said.