News Article

Jamaican delegation tours CNA campus


8/26/2009 3:20:43 PM


College of the North Atlantic hosted a delegation from the Government of Jamaica at the Ridge Road campus this week. Taking part in the meetings were John Oates, Campus Administrator, Ridge Road campus; Corinne Dunne, Vice-President of Development and College Advancement; and the Honourable Pearnel Charles, M.P. Minister of Labour and Social Security with the Government of Jamaica.

A delegation lead by the Honourable Pearnel Charles, M.P., Minister of Labour and Social Security with the Government of Jamaica, met with senior officials of College of the North Atlantic yesterday.

The meetings further explored opportunities with College of the North Atlantic for students from Jamaica. Last May, the college signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Jamaica that will see both parties investigate the various training needs of this Caribbean country and develop solutions that will see short and long term benefits. Following the MOU the college was visited by the presidents of three Jamaican colleges.

“This recent visit by our partners brought us another step closer to finalizing the initiatives that we had outlined with the original Memorandum of Understanding,” said Corinne Dunne, Vice-President of Development and College Advancement.

“By touring our campuses in the region they were able to examine various aspects of our program curriculum and structure. This is another step in the process for our international partners so they can better understand the college’s training abilities. By working with our Corporate Training and Continuing Education department they will be in a position to accommodate the training needs of their student population.”

The delegation consisted of officials from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Jamaican Liaison Service.

“We are discussing matters of training and matters of education and we hope that this partnership will produce job and produce professionals that will be to the benefit of Canada, Jamaica and the world at large. We are entering a global job hunt in order to confront this global crisis,” said Minister Charles in an interview with VOCM Radio.

“The college will be working with us to assist some of our Jamaicans in the search for a profession. We feel that (the college) can make contributions in such areas as hospitality, health and other such areas where we want to get some of the jobs that are available in Canada.”

The college develops customized training options for businesses, industry, and governments, from a list of over 100 full-time diploma and certificate programs and a comprehensive range of 300 part-time courses. It can also build entirely new programs tailored to fit the training requirements of our clients.

CNA prides itself in responsiveness to their clients’ needs. Training can vary in duration – from a one-day session to programs of several weeks – offered anytime, anywhere.


-30-

For more information contact:

Roger Hulan
Communications Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7938
roger.hulan@cna.nl.ca