Caribbean News
Statement by Sean Astwood, PDM Interim Leader: Encouragement to stick with Border Security Strategy they started
#TurksandCaicos, April 23, 2021 – Two months into its term in Office, the new Government has seen 9 sloops with 3 intercepted in the past week alone carrying a total of approximately 631 persons and one making a rare landfall on the Island of South Caicos with a report that seems that all made good their escape. We can all agree across party lines that this is tragic on all levels but certainly for the people of this country, it remains a financial burden that we painfully bear. On top of this, this is equally a real health risk given the fact that we are actively managing a pandemic that is getting deadlier and deadlier having loss more citizens to death in the past three months than we did in all the prior months during this pandemic.
The PDM as Government recognized and continue to recognize that there must be a strategic, well resourced, modern and sustainable approach to addressing illegal migration and encourage the PNP Government to not abandon the hard work and the plans left behind.
On the PDM assuming Office in December 2016, persons will recall the launch of Operation Guardian as early as a few months after gaining Office which in its inaugural year by July 2017 saw 1335 persons repatriated versus 419 in 2016. This sustained land – based operation was halted for humanitarian reasons following the Twin Storms of 2017. The Storms further highlighted that we could no longer rely so heavily on our Radar System which was damaged following these Storms and which provided limited coverage.
The vision of the PDM Government to become more involved as a true partner with the Governor and UK in the matter of internal and external security put into action and the plans under our 12 Point Law Enforcement Plan which saw the modernization, strengthening and strategic pooling of our resources locally, regionally and internationally. This approach became even more urgent two years ago in March 2018 with an onslaught of sloops which forced us to call on the UK for a UK Ship to provide border coverage which was favorably considered. This also saw the beginning of Official Talks with the Bahamas towards the first ever bilateral agreement: an MOU that will allow us the benefit of the Bahamian resources (The Bahamas Defense Force) in a strategic way outside of the OPBAT arrangement.
With the rapid arrival of illegal sloops and the detention of over 600 migrants in a week, the PDM deem it important to remind the people of our ground breaking efforts and wish to encourage the PNP Government to not abandon the hard work carried out over the past four years which will strengthen our defenses.
After several years of working towards a holistic threat assessment and the creation of a national security strategy, the PDM Government established a Secretariat with its first ever Permanent Secretary of National Security. This Unit must help to provide a coordinated approach across government as the days of having law enforcement bodies working in silos should be discouraged and the smart and strategic use of our limited resources should be encouraged.
Over the years, investment in the leading enforcement bodies has seen restructuring of the then Ministry of Border Control and Immigration Task Force to see the recruitment of a second Deputy Permanent Secretary dedicated solely to immigration and the recruitment of a Task Force Manager. The Police as one of the lead partners in stemming the flow of illegal migrants saw record investment in manpower, cars, boats, plane and drone in its role in national security.
The Department of Environment and Coastal Resources also received new vessels while the Radar Staff was increased and equipment enhanced. While continued investment in the various lead bodies through equipment and manpower is a must, legislation must be introduced to enhance and support all efforts.
However, of critical importance are the three major strands of work advanced before we demitted Office and which have been reported on over the years. All works have taken considerable time with UK and TCI investment and dedication to move at pace. Persons will recall the visit of the UK Border Team and representatives from the Ministry of Defense who made strong recommendations several years ago. Persons will also recall the introduction of a Change Manager in our National Budget two years ago to lead on the creation of a Joint Law Enforcement Body styled a Border Protection Agency that will see the smarter and more strategic use of our resources across law enforcement. As a follow up to these efforts more than 2 years ago, works have advanced for the establishment of TCI’s first Border Force Agency with a direct seconded staff member from the UK (at its own cost) and the establishment of the TCI’s Regiment, now in the process of recruiting more manpower to assist in the area of national security.
The third and equally critical strand of work is the joint investment between TCIG’s Consolidated Funds and National Forfeiture Fund towards the purchase of additional radar satellite stations. These three strands of work should not be discontinued at any cost if we want to see any real change. We call on the PNP Government to allow these works to continue. And even as we seek to strengthen our borders, the work of Operation Guardian, a sustained land – based operation to detain and repatriate undocumented residents must be restored together with the use of the strengthened policies and laws made available to the Planning Department and AG’s Chambers (who manages the Crown Land Unit) to address informal settlements.
We are confident that our many years of work will be a game changer and the continuation of our efforts will be best for TCI.
Caribbean News
Sandals Corporate University Wins Double Gold in AI Innovation and Hands-On Hospitality Training
Montego Bay, St. James: Sandals Corporate University (SCU), the learning and development hub for Sandals and Beaches Resorts team members, continues to set the gold standard for excellence in AI implementation and training strategy as they celebrate their recent double win in the 2025 Brandon Hall GroupTM HCM Excellence Awards®.
Collaborating with Canadian-based corporate training company, Flint Learning Solutions, the SCU was awarded two gold medals for
projects submitted to the categories: Best Use of AI in Business Impact for elevating guest experiences with AI training and Best Learning in the Flow of Work for improving hospitality with on-the-job activities.
The awarding organisation, The Brandon Hall Group™, has, for over 30 years empowered and certified business excellence globally and through the HCM Excellence Awards®, which recognises organisations that have implemented best practices for initiatives in learning and development, talent acquisition and management, leadership development, human resources, sales performance, diversity, equity and inclusion and the future of work.
Highlighting the achievement, SCU’s Senior Corporate Director, Dr. Luz Longsworth stated, “the Hospitality industry requires a flexible and fast paced approach to on-the-job training and the SCU is excited about the possibilities for expanding the use of AI in its training model to enhance our team members’ learning experience and to ultimately continue providing our Sandals and Beaches Resorts guests with consistently excellent service.”
Lenise White, Sandals Resorts’ measurement and evaluation specialist also shared her enthusiasm about the win.
“The double gold win from the Brandon Hall Group™ is a tremendous recognition of the impact the SCU has made in transforming hospitality learning and service delivery. It signifies that our efforts to integrate AI into training are not only innovative but also delivering real business impact.”
The partnership between SCU and Flint has, since its application, redefined on the job learning, demonstrating how innovative technology and training can ease real-world business challenges in the hospitality industry. The programme establishes a new standard for hospitality talent development and has given way to the integration of personalised, AI-powered learning, geared towards enhancing team member capabilities and elevating the guest experience without disrupting daily operations.
“We’re incredibly proud of our partnership with Sandals Corporate University and the exceptional results we’ve achieved together. SCU’s
leadership in embracing innovative approaches to talent development has been instrumental in creating a programme that empowered employees to create the exceptional, memorable experiences that define the Sandals brand and keep guests returning year after year,” shared Flint’s Chief Executive Officer, James Glover.
The 2025 award entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran, independent senior industry experts, Brandon Hall Group analysts and executives based on their alignment to business needs and environment, programme design, functionality and delivery, innovation and creativity among other criteria.
“This year’s Excellence Award winners exemplify the transformative power of strategic human capital management. Through their innovative approaches to talent development and employee engagement, these organizations have not only achieved remarkable business outcomes but have also redefined what it means to create truly people-centric workplaces,” remarked Brandon Hall Group Chief Operating Officer and HCM Excellence Awards® Programme Leader, Rachel Cooke.
The win follows another exceptional achievement in AI-powered training after the SCU copped the bronze award for Best Corporate University in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Implementations from the Global CCU, earlier this year.
Photo Captions:
Header: A group of proud team members from Sandals South Coast team pose for a quick photo op after receiving their training completion certificates.
1st insert: Sandals Ochi Beach Resort General Manager, Carol Bourke (left) presents Learning and Development Manager, Joy Bernard with her certificate of recognition for the role that she played in administering the training initiative.
2nd insert: Ghislain Boutoulle, hotel manager at Beaches Turks and Caicos (right) beams as he congratulates bar department team member, Andrew Clarke on his successful course completion.
MONTEGO BAY, September 11 (JIS): Jamaica’s capacity to identify and support children with autism has been bolstered by a
groundbreaking three-year training initiative that continued into its second phase at the St. Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital in St. Ann, on Wednesday, September 10.
Dubbed the Autism and Developmental Needs Skills Training for Caregivers and Families, the programme will create a core of 10 master trainers who will in turn train others across the island to build a sustainable network of experts.
The programme is being carried out under the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Caregiver Skills Training (CST) framework.
It is being made possible through a partnership among the Sandals Foundation, Autism Speaks, The Bob and Rita Marley Foundation, and The Colour of Autism Foundation.
Speaking to journalists, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation, Heidi Clarke, said the training is designed to make autism support more accessible across Jamaica by equipping those already working with children and families to provide practical tools and strategies.
“These 10 master trainers are going to be able to go back out into the communities and train other people to kind of spread the effect, getting it into every corner in Jamaica, so that we’re able to help identify [autistic] children and help their parents, teachers and caregivers to be able to understand how to deal with them,” she explained.
The Sandals Foundation and Sandals Resorts International have committed a total of US$162,000 in cash and kind support towards the entire three-year endeavour.
This investment covers online training, technical support, stipends for trainees, printed materials, transportation, and accommodation for the capacity-building sessions.
“Mico University College is directly in contact with all of the various [master trainers] in the respective organisations. They’re the ones who identified the people who are going to be trained,” Mrs. Clarke noted.
“So, it’s everybody from Early Stimulation to the Montego Bay Autism Centre, among other institutions, that are spreading autism awareness and support across the country,” she added.
One of the trainees, Sandrea Long-White, Project Manager at Community Based Rehabilitation Jamaica, noted that the training is particularly valuable for rural communities where her organisation works directly with families in their homes.
In fact, it is important to equip parents living in rural Jamaica with the skills to manage the daily challenges of raising a child with autism, to ease the overwhelming and uncertain pressures, she noted.
“So, one of the key takeaways from the training, thus far, is that whatever the child can do, we focus on that and build on that strength that
the child has. That’s something that we need to teach our parents to recognise, the little achievements that our disabled children can do to build their skill to help them in their development,” Mrs. Long-White underscored.
In the meantime, Head of Special Education at The Mico University College, Michele Meredith, pointed out that the three-year programme will be certified.
Ms. Meredith said it will combine the WHO’s packaged content with components from The Mico’s own special education courses to give graduates a recognisable certification in the field.
Moreover, after the initial three-year cycle, funded by the Sandals Foundation, The Mico University College will take over the programme as a formal extramural offering, she noted.
The second phase of the programme will run from September 8 to 12. In addition to the trainers, six families will also participate in the sessions.
Since 2016, some 35 Caregiver Skills Training (CST) sites have been implemented worldwide, certifying more than 250 master trainers, with language translations under way to include 10 additional languages.
Contact: Okoye Henry
Release: JIS
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