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THE GLEANER, THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017
F10
The Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) has had a
memorable year with many triumphs and accomplish-
ments. These would not have been possible without the
unwavering support of the Minister of Transport and
Mining, Lester ‘Mike’ Henry and his team at the
Ministry, who have provided guidance, endorsement
and advocacy throughout these past months. This part-
nership has resulted in the achievement of key mile-
stones. Chief among these are the following:
Approval of the Caribbean Maritime
University (CMU) Bill
The Ministry of Transport and Mining successfully pilot-
ed the CMU Bill, which was approved in Parliament in
January 2017 and was a momentous occasion. After
years of campaigning, the transition will become a reali-
ty before the end of 2017. This Bill establishes the CMU
as a degree granting institution and defines it as a spe-
cialized university providing education, training and
consultancy in maritime, logistics, engineering, cus-
toms, immigration and related fields.
As a university, the institution will also be embarking on
a physical development and expansion programme to
enable it to increase its student population to approxi-
mately 4,000 persons. This will strengthen its capacity
to offer specialised maritime related services such as
dry docking; ship building and construction; naval archi-
tecture; underwater welding; marine electronics repair;
aviation and ground transportation repair; marine equip-
ment repair and maintenance; plumbing; and carpentry.
Scholarships Programme
The CMI has connected directly with high schools to
ensure access to specialised higher education through
scholarships and developed a pilot partnership with the
Denbigh High School. This partnership secured 10
scholarships for high school graduates to pursue bach-
elor degrees. The Denbigh Scholarship programme will
be used as the template for other similar development
programmes.
FACT Centre
The establishment of a FESTO Authorised and Certified
Training (FACT) Centre at the CMU which the Ministry
of Transport and Mining has long supported, as an
avenue of economic development, will result in high-
paying jobs in the maritime and logistics industry there-
by contributing to increased revenues for the country.
The FACT Centre will serve the needs of the wider
Caribbean and dovetail seamlessly with Jamaica
becoming one of the main logistics hubs in the region.
Besides the maritime and harbour/port industry, the
FACT Centre will focus on the improvement of national
skills and knowledge in the field of industrial automation
and mechatronics. This method integrates technologies
such as pneumatics, industrial safety, programmable
logic control and a full automation laboratory, address-
ing commissioning, troubleshooting, closed loop control
and robotics. This facility is currently being constructed
at the main campus and is scheduled to be completed
by June 2017.
Increased Enrolment
There is a growing demand for the CMI programme
offerings and this is as a direct result of the employabili-
ty of its graduates - 85 per cent of whom gain employ-
ment (locally and abroad), start their own businesses or
matriculate into higher studies within six months of
graduating. The student population now stands at over
3000 with 24 core programmes, along with numerous
customised courses. This figure is expected to increase
in September 2017 (in the new academic year).
36th Graduation
The CMI hosted its 36th annual graduation ceremony
on November 10, 2016 at the Jamaica Conference
Centre. On this occasion, approximately 300 interna-
tionally certified, industry ready graduates, received
their prestigious degree certificates, to further shape the
logistics and maritime landscapes. This year was the
first graduation exercise that was held under the leader-
ship of the recently appointed Board of Directors.
Maritime Awareness Week
The Maritime community, both locally and international-
ly once again celebrated World Maritime Day under the
auspices of the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) under the theme “Shipping – Indispensable to
the World” during September 26 and 30, 2016. Jamaica
played its part by undertaking activities to create aware-
ness locally, which included a service at the Haven Hill
Baptist Church, a two (2) day open house career expo-
sition and Guidance Counsellor logistics Symposium
hosted by the CMI and the Lantern release abroad the
Caribbean Queen hosted by Women in Maritime
Association Caribbean to recognise World Maritime
Day.
Mokpo National Maritime University
During the period, the institution actively pursued its
capacity building thrust through international certifica-
tion of its management team. Two members of the CMI
management team; the Director of the School of
Academic Studies and the Head of Logistics pursued a
one-month training programme in Shipping and
Logistics in South Korea. They also secured a partner-
ship arrangement with Mokpo National Maritime
University through the signing of a memorandum of
understanding. The key tenets of the MOU are:
- Joint research initiatives and programme offerings
especially doctorial studies. A new Doctorate of philos-
ophy will be offered jointly in September 2017
- Exchange programmes for staff and students between
institutions
- Appointment of visiting professors at both institutions
- Comparative analysis of curriculum and market
demands towards the development of new pro-
grammes especially in logistics and engineering
- Placement opportunities for CMI cadets pursuing
marine transportation and marine engineering
A part of this enhanced collaboration will include offer-
ing Korean as a foreign language at the Institute under
its new name, the Caribbean Maritime University. The
CMI’s role, beyond institutional development, is to facili-
tate a larger more expansive partnership with the mar-
itime and shipping sectors in Korea. The Ministry of
Transport played an integral role in this agreement and
supported it as a part of the country’s economic growth
strategy. From this initial institutional agreement,
Minister Henry met with the Ambassador of the
Republic of Korea to Jamaica, Mr Lim Jong Seonto, on
August 5, 2016 at the Ministry and engage in talks
about bilateral collaborations, using CMI as a vehicle of
transformation and deepened partnership.
Additionally, the Minister was invited to join other
Ministers of Transport from around the world, to be
invited to participate in a transport and logistics confer-
ence hosted by the Busan Port and its partners.
American Caribbean Maritime Foundation
The American Caribbean Maritime Foundation (ACMF)
was established with a mission of providing scholar-
ships for Caribbean students and support for the devel-
opment and sustainability of the maritime industry with-
in the Caribbean. During the year, the CMI positioned
itself to receive support from the AMCF, it being the
only institution of its kind in Jamaica and the fact that
many of its students are from challenging economic cir-
cumstances.
Minister Henry was again actively involved in engaging
the Foundation to muster support for future maritime
professionals. He later led a team to a New York-based
meeting to strengthen Jamaica’s appeal for funding.
During his visit, Minister Henry met with several execu-
tives of the Foundation, including Mr James Luce, pres-
ident of the Luce Foundation, an entity which is keen to
establish a Jamaican Education Fund to be managed
by Goldman Sachs.
CMI UWI Partnership
On September 8, 2016, the CMI and the University of
the West Indies signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) to facilitate joint research, pro-
gramme offerings and sharing of resources at UWI’s
open campuses islandwide. The UWI Open Campus,
appropriately fits into the country’s wider thrust to
advance schools and cater to the needs of students
through collaboration among key stakeholders.
The agreement paves the way for future collaboration
between both institutions in the areas of programme
development, instructional resource sharing, teaching
and research. The partnership creates a powerful
means for engaging maritime skills and academics
through research oriented curricula. Additionally, it sup-
ports the bid to sustain, expand and strengthen capaci-
ties across the institutions and to encourage the devel-
opment of innovative initiatives. It also encourages the
sharing of expertise to supplement internal competen-
cies and broker novel areas of specialization.
Socrates Awards
Executive Director, Dr Fritz Pinnock, recently won the
Socrates Award for outstanding achievements in profes-
sional activities and contribution to intellectual develop-
ment in government management, business and the
economy of today’s society. This is a significant
achievement not just for Dr Pinnock as leader of the
CMI, but also a win for the entire country as he is the
first Jamaican to be awarded this prestigious award. He
is now considered ONE of the WORLD’S 20 BEST
PROFESSIONALS FROM ALL CONTINENTS.
Prime Minister’s Medal of
Appreciation
Both the Executive Director, Dr Fritz Pinnock, and the
Deputy Executive Director, Mrs Vivette Grant were the
recipients of the prestigious Prime Minister’s Medal of
Appreciation for Service to Education.
The Majestic Falcon Award
This award was received for quality and excellence and
was presented to the CMI in 2016.
International Accreditation
Universal accreditation for all programmes (in logistics,
engineering, customs processes, freight forwarding and
immigration, marine transportation and engineering,
security administration and management and other cus-
tomised industry programmes) from the Accreditation
Service for International Universities and Colleges
(ASIC, UK).
Representing Jamaica in Sports
The Ministry was pleased to learn that the CMI
Cheerleaders (The CMI Spatans) represented Jamaica
in January 2017 and the World Cheerleading
Championship at emerged the winners in the following
categories (out of 35 universities and 300 teams):
Open Mascot Exhibition
Large Co-ed Division
The All Girls Division
The CMI Cheerleading Team was the first and only
University team representing the Caribbean at the
Florida Championships and was placed within the top
10 schools overall.
Caribbean Maritime
Institute
“
the Institution of Choice”