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| Discussion between Sen. Arley Gill (left) PS Sybil Alexander and one of the Indian tutors |
ST GEORGE’S,
May 7, 2011 (GIS) – Grenada is just days away from the
start of classes at the newly opened ICT Centre for Excellence and Innovation
(ICEI) in St. George’s.
The
Centre, a collaboration between the governments of Grenada and India, was
officially opened April 15 by Hon. Tillman Thomas, Grenada’s Prime Minister and
Minister of Information and Information and Communication Technology. It’s the
first ICT teaching facility of its kind in the Organisation of Eastern
Caribbean States (OECS).
Classes
at the ICEI, located at the Grenada Industrial Development Corporation building
in Frequente, begin Monday, May 16. Applications are being accepted not just
from Grenadians but also from students from the rest of the OECS.
An ICEI
spokesperson told the Government Information Service that students will receive
specialized training and certification in areas such as database technologies;
IT project management; JAVA programming; WINDOW XP; Linux; and MS SQL Server.
“All
courses are subsidized by 50 percent by the Government of Grenada,’’ the
spokesperson said.
Interested
students can register online by visiting the Government of Grenada Website atwww.gov.gd They
can receive additional information by calling 444-1035, Extension 1039; or
e-mailing icei@gov.gd
The
objectives of the ICEI, which is equipped with two information technology
laboratories, a data room, conference room, and a library and resource center,
are to “increase IT knowledge and awareness’’ among Grenadians; and to
“generate direct employment through IT.’’
The
lead instructors are three Indian tutors who are here on a two-year assignment
sponsored by their country’s government. As part of their assignment, they’ll
also train Grenadians who will later take over as ICEI tutors.
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| ICEI tutors and staff with government representatives |
On
Friday, May 6, the instructors and their support staff of three Grenadians held
a briefing session with Junior Information and ICT Minister, Sen. Arley Gill;
Permanent Secretary Sybil Alexander; and representatives of various interest
groups including the Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network; the Royal
Grenada Police Force; and government departments such as the Ministry of
Health, and Human Resource Development in the Ministry of Education.
Meeting
participants outlined some of their ICT needs which include the establishment
of electronic systems for the collection, management and dissemination of data;
assistance in the area of cyber security and network configuration; upgrading
of the skills of middle managers in the public service; and the training of
personnel as business and system analysts.
Participants
also emphasized the need for the ICEI to not only be a place of training, but
also an avenue for showcasing the creativity and talent for invention of Grenadians.
“The
ICEI must the environment to create,’’ Sen. Gill said.
Ms
Alexander, Permanent Secretary for Information and ICT in the Prime Minister’s
Office, said the determination is to ensure the ICEI is a success.
“When
students leave the Centre,’’ she said, “they should be able to hit the road
running.’’
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