Specialized Training
The Specialized Training Unit under the leadership of Ms Petal Dawn Hinkson, Executive Assistant to the Director and Coordinator of the activities of the Unit continues to construct programmes that are designed to match the needs of all our stakeholders who desire training and career development for their employees/members. This Department falls under the purview of the Director’s Office and has been mandated to analyze the educational and developmental needs of the College’s stakeholders and plan, implement and evaluate specific programmes and/or courses that seek to satisfy their needs.
The Specialized Training Department focuses on the businesses, industries, government ministries and department, credit unions, trade unions, nongovernmental organizations and other public and private institutions across Trinidad and Tobago and the region. The training programmes are tailored to suit the needs of the organization and are conducted within a time frame that fits into the organization’s operations. The College also provides stakeholders with an option as it relates to the venue. Once accommodation is available in-house, the programme will be conducted on site; however, if not, the new facilities at the Valsayn campus are equipped to provide participants with an enjoyable educational experience.
This Department has over the years gained valuable experience in conducting programmes of different styles for a variety of entities such as the Ministry of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development, Caribbean Safety Products, the Immigration Division of the Ministry of National Security and the Customs and Excise Division of Ministry of Finance, just to mention a few. Working with local and foreign consultants, as well as using trained and qualified in-house resources in specific areas, the Specialized Training Department has successfully completed programmes in ‘Leadership Training for Trade Unions’, ‘Project Management in the Airline Industry’, ‘The Art of Communicating to the Media’, and other specially designed programmes in Security Administration, Environmental Management, Occupational, Safety and Health and many more.
The Department is extremely proud of its efforts in 2004, when a knowledgeable team of safety practitioners and legal experts journeyed all over Trinidad and Tobago educating various organizations, both private and public sector, in the ‘Understanding of the Occupational Safety and Health Act’. In 2008 the Specialized Training Department has already conducted a seminar for Trade Unions and their relevance in the Changing Economic Environment and a training workshop for Labour Officers in the Ministry of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development. The Board of Governors and the Executive Management of the College believe that the Specialized Training Department will provide stakeholders nationally and regionally with an opportunity to train and develop its human resource as they position themselves to confront the global challenges that lie ahead.