Expanded Collaboration with Government of Antigua and Barbuda Announced
We are very excited to announce our expanded partnership with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to provide additional academic opportunities and vocational training programs for local residents.
President Marc Jerome and alumna Ariel Titus from Antigua were honored this morning to meet with The Honorable Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, about ways to expand our current joint efforts to provide educational opportunities for deserving Antiguan and Barbudan students.
There are three core components to the exciting, new collaboration that resulted from their discussions. All are designed to prepare local residents for sustainable jobs that align with the country’s economy.
The first component is a three-year agreement to provide matching scholarship funds to make a Monroe College education highly affordable to residents, regardless of whether they study online or on the College’s campuses in New York or St. Lucia. The scholarship would cover tuition and fees related to any degree program Monroe offers. Students would cover the room and board costs associated with on-campus studies.
The next two components will be especially well-received by those seeking careers within the travel and tourism industry, which is a significant contributor to Antigua and Barbuda’s economy.
Residents seeking a professional career track will be delighted to know that, through the Prime Minister’s office, the College will seek to partner with the Antigua Barbuda Hospitality Training Institute (ABHTI) and the Five Island Campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI) on a baccalaureate degree program in hospitality management that includes a two-semester study abroad opportunity at Monroe in New York. While at Monroe, students will participate in internships designed to gain practical work skills while learning the fast-paced, high-touch customer service expectations of today’s business and recreational travelers.
The third component of the expanded partnership between Monroe and the Government is designed to meet the needs of those eager to prepare for entry-level, non-managerial jobs within the hospitality sector. Monroe will open a new branch of its International Hospitality Training Institute (IHTI) at a location yet to be decided within Antigua and Barbuda. It will be modeled after the highly successful program launched in St. Lucia with the country’s National Apprenticeship Programme to prepare young residents there for starting positions with cruise ships, resorts and hotels.
The Institute offers five certificate programs, with training on professionalism and the essential “soft skills” that hospitality employers demand incorporated into each track. The available programs are: Bartending, Event Planning and Logistics, Front Office / Guest Services, Food & Beverage Service, and Housekeeping. The College will work with leading hoteliers in Antigua and Barbuda to ensure IHTI’s vocational training meets local employers’ needs.
“We are delighted to embark on this new partnership with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, and are honored to work with Prime Minister Browne in realizing his vision for improving educational access and affordability for local citizens,” said Marc Jerome, president of Monroe College. “Monroe has a long and proud history of educating Antiguan and Barbudan students, which will continue to grow under today’s announced programs.”
Prime Minister Browne said, “Antigua and Barbuda has been building relationships with outstanding tertiary institutions in the USA and elsewhere. The relationship between Monroe College and UWI Five Islands can only be beneficial to the ambitions of our youthful citizens who are pursuing college education. I welcome this new drive.”
We welcome it, too, Prime Minister Browne!