The UWI Vice-Chancellor’s Report to University Council

OPEN CAMPUS REPORT

Therapy, Introductory Social Work and Mental Health First Responders. Many of these workshops and courses were attended by community leaders, counsellors and teachers across the region. The SWTRC also continued to seek new partnerships with organisations to commit to the continuous training and development of their staff and other stakeholders within the private and public sectors, such as the partnership with Lawman Lynch Foundation (LLF). An agreement was also established with LLF for greater collaboration with scholarships for social work students and hosting seminars in the new academic year. The Centre was also successful in bidding for the Caribbean Youth Fellowship II project through the International Republican Institute. This project seeks to build leadership and advocacy in youth aged 18–35 in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

The Open Campus Country Sites (OCCS) continued its quest to increase students’ access to Senate- approved and continuing education programmes, thereby enhancing student enrolment across the region and beyond. To achieve this, the OCCS utilised various methods inclusive of programme development, partnerships and collaborations, and creative marketing and outreach strategies. Fourteen Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) courses were developed during the reporting period in six countries, on topics such as Introduction to Forensic Science; Sign Language Level III; Gender Budgeting; Gender Equality; Women and Girls’ Rights; Disaster Risk Financing; and CCRIF Parametric Insurance, among others. In addition, the Continuing and Professional Education Centre (CPEC) developed eight new courses in collaboration with the Open Campus Country Sites and the Women and Development Unit branch of the Consortium for Social Development and Research. Several other partnerships and collaborations were undertaken during the 2022/2023 academic year, resulting in the training of Cayman Islands’ Customs Border Control Officers, Grenada’s Ministry of Economic Development, Planning, Tourism, and Creative Economy employees, youth, women, and civil society leaders in Belize, as well as various public and private sector organisations in several countries which the OCCS serves. Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate Programme Collaboration with external subject matter professionals resulted in the development of an Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate programme. The goal of the certificate programme is to equip educators, caregivers, family members and paraprofessionals

interested in learning how to work with individuals on the autism spectrum with the knowledge and skills necessary for teaching and supporting children and youth on the autism spectrum. The first offering should commence in Semester I 2023/2024 and a cohort of 45 participants is expected, generating an estimated US$22,500.00.

Consortium for Social Development and Research (CSDR)

Social Work Training and Research Centre (SWTRC) During the reporting period, the SWTRC offered five short courses and received Academic Board approval for the Mental Health First Responders course. Some of the courses offered include Grant Writing, Impact Assessment and Evaluation, Introduction to Play

Members of Jamaica Teachers Association

104

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