Niagara College reinforced its strong partnership with Jamaican educational institutions through a recent initiative supporting those facing challenges following Hurricane Melissa.
On February 25, the NC team visited the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ) to deliver the first three of fifteen donated laptops intended to support recovery efforts after the storm affected several member institutions last fall.
A special handover ceremony marked the occasion, highlighting the strength of the collaboration between Niagara College and the Jamaican college network.
Donna Powell Wilson, Executive Director of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ), shared that at least four member institutions were severely damaged by the storm, significantly affecting teaching and learning across the community. She added that the support from Niagara College will make a meaningful difference.
The NC team is coordinating the delivery of the remaining laptops with CCCJ in the coming weeks as institutions continue their recovery efforts.
“This initiative further illustrates the deep bond Niagara College has created with our partners in Jamaica,” said Gary Torraville, Senior Director, Global Business Development at Niagara College. “It reflects our long-standing relationship and commitment to supporting education and community development in the region.”
Niagara College has a long history of successful partnerships in Jamaica, welcoming students from the country as well as engaging in global education projects.
Over the years, hundreds of students originally from Jamaica have studied in a wide range of postsecondary programs at Niagara College. The college has also welcomed many Jamaican students through the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP), further strengthening academic exchange and collaboration between Canada and the Caribbean.
A key example of Niagara College’s work in Jamaica is the Skills to Access the Green Economy (SAGE), a five-year program funded by the Government of Canada and implemented by Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan).
Recently concluded, the program enhanced demand-driven, technical, and vocational education training (TVET) offered by Caribbean institutions in climate-related sectors to meet regional economic and environmental demands.
Through SAGE-05, NC worked alongside partners including College of the North Atlantic, The Moneague College, and HEART/NSTA Trust Ebony Park Academy to develop a modularized curriculum for an associate degree in Agro-Food Processing with professional certifications and a preparatory program and short courses.
Under SAGE-07, NC collaborated with Nova Scotia Community College, Seneca Polytechnic and partners from six Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, on the development of short courses in ecotourism, created by NC faculty experts. The courses were designed for tourism students and professionals.
The recent laptop donation reflects Niagara College’s ongoing commitment to supporting education and strengthening communities across Jamaica.
