The University of Technology Jamaica (UTech) has launched its UTech Open School of Lifelong Learning and Professional Development.

The School operates as the University’s Open Learning access entity, serving the needs of communities across Jamaica and the Caribbean by utilising a range of delivery modalities.

It aims to provide innovative and expanded access to learning to local, regional and global students and respond to training and development needs of businesses and organisations.

The School’s curriculum will be Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM)-focused.

 It will prepare STEM practitioners and those working in skilled trades that do not require a four-year degree and micro-credentials.

Addressing the School’s launching ceremony at UTech’s main campus in Papine, St Andrew, on Thursday (September 5), Minister of Education and Youth, Fayval Williams commended the University for its innovative approach to expanding access to education.

“This, for me, is a significant achievement and one that will have a life-changing impact on the students who will enrol here. Today we mark, not just the opening of a new arm for UTech but the beginning of a transformative journey. This campus, along with the other locations, stands as a beacon of your commitment to education and your belief in the power of continuous and professional growth. It symbolises a future where learning never ceases,” she said.

UTech President, Dr Kevin Brown, said the School’s programme is designed to supply the labour market with qualified skilled workers across a variety of industries in the private and public sectors.

“We are launching a school with a wider contemporary remit, a scope that is relevant to not just Jamaica but where the world is going, with respect to workforce development,” he stated.

UTech’s Open School comprises four components: UTech Academy, which provides a pre-university programme, Sixth Form Pathway Programme, CSEC/CAPE subjects and UTechJa Entry Pathways; UTech Executive Education, which offers corporate training, management and leadership short courses, marketing and sales, strategy and business analytics; Professional Studies, which offers STEM short courses, professional short courses, badges and certification, career development and entrepreneurship innovation; and the Tech Skills Programme, which offers short courses in cybersecurity, data science, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, robotics, computer programming, machine learning, drone technology and introduction to graphic design.

Learners with limited access to higher education because of inadequate secondary-level preparation, as well as other challenges relating to access to centres of continuous learning should be able to now find opportunities through UTech Open.

It also targets experienced professionals in leadership management positions who have professional development needs as well as professionals in the workforce who require upskilling and reskilling.