SVGCC Director Nigel Scott and CGTC Vice President for Economic Development Andrea Griner shake hands following the agreement signing in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. — In January, Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC) and St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SCGCC) officially agreed to explore international education that improves outcomes for students and communities.
The memorandum of understanding establishes cooperation and collaboration on the promotion of international education, global healthcare, cross-cultural learning, and internationalization between the colleges.
The agreement outlines a path to student and staff mobility between institutions, support for specialties in secondary care for healthcare professionals, development of sustainable program models in Paramedicine and Dental Hygiene, and future collaboration.
Nigel Scott, director of SVGCC, and Andrea Griner, vice president for Economic Development at CGTC, signed the agreement on the Division of Nursing campus of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College in the country’s capital, Kingstown.
“The SVGCC is always keen to provide more opportunities for faculty, staff, and students as we recognize that we cannot do it all on our own,” said Scott. “Partnerships like this one with CGTC will go a long way to help both of our institutions achieve their goals of enhanced teaching and learning especially learner experiences that add quality and meaning to all concerned.”
Leadership from CGTC and SVGCC celebrate the historic agreement signing for both institutions.
Since 2022, the College has partnered with Trinity School of Medicine, of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to support study abroad initiatives in healthcare for Registered Nursing, Paremedicine and Dental Hygiene
That connection, combined with the presence of healthcare students on the island, sparked conversation on further partnership for collaborative international education with SVGCC.
“The people and educational leaders of St. Vincent have consistently embraced our presence on the island with warmth and keen collaboration,” said JoBen Rivera-Thompson, CGTC’s Director of Marketing, Public Relations, and International Outreach. “Our partnership with Trinity opened the door to relationships within healthcare and outreach on the island, and we now look forward to the many ways this partnership with SVGCC will connect our students and faculty to international education and training.”
Over the next few years, both institutions will collaborate on customized training and continuing education taking place in each country, while exploring how educators and professionals on both sides can broaden their international experiences.
“In terms of continuing education and training opportunities with SVGCC, this agreement will enable CGTC to deliver training that will equip Vincentian educators and professionals with knowledge and skills that will enhance the scope of practice for the island’s healthcare and beyond,” said Griner.
CGTC Students pose at Blackpoint Beach as a part of study abroad to the island.
In addition to the agreement signing, the visit by CGTC to the island also saw four faculty and staff travel under the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Increase and Diversity Education Abroad for US Students (IDEAS) Grant. The group engaged in meetings with partners on the island and conducted tours of healthcare facilities and cultural sites with the intent to diversify short-term study abroad by expanding health sciences study abroad opportunities.
Since January 2023, CGTC has sent over 25 students to the island for service-learning study abroad and under the grant, is preparing to expand its offering in 2024 to include programs like Radiologic Technology, Practical Nursing, and Dental Assisting. The objective is to increase outreach and recruitment for these programs demonstrating greater enrollment of underserved students, like first-generation college students, those from rural backgrounds, or minority demographics.
CGTC students and staff were featured in Searchlight, a Vincentian publication, for their work to put on a teddy bear clinic introducing kids to healthcare. Searchlight News Article.JPG
SVGCC intends to support the growth of CGTC study abroad, even welcoming exploration of future programs outside of healthcare.
For more on formal agreements at the College visit, https://www.centralgatech.edu/academics/articulation
For news of some of CGTC student and staff activity on the island, click the link to the article below from the Vincentian news outlet, Searchlight: https://www.searchlight.vc/front-page/2024/01/16/local-overseas-partners-host-teddy-bear-clinic-children/