PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: — Beaches Turks and Caicos has refreshed the grounds of Enid Capron Primary School in Five Cays, Providenciales, ahead of the new school year, with a landscaping team from the resort, pruning and cutting back overgrown branches to give the campus a cleaner, safer look.

The project focused on the school’s exterior plantings, where tangled growth had begun to encroach on walkways and outdoor learning areas. The team spent time trimming hedges, thinning dense shrubs and removing deadwood to improve sightlines and airflow around the buildings.

Assistant Landscaping Manager, Kemar Jones said the work at Enid Capron is a regular priority for the department, which views community giving as a core part of its mandate. He noted that supporting local schools, particularly through hands-on environmental work, has long been a focus area for his team.

Jones, said the effort reflects the group’s wider commitment to the islands. “As a team, our goal is to give back to our communities and especially providing support for the environment and education,” Jones noted. “The team is always ready to share our skills with making the school environment more comfortable for our students and teachers.”

General Manager Deryk Meany framed the project as part of Beaches’ broader approach to working alongside the community beyond the resort gates. “At Beaches Turks and Caicos, we operate as a team not only within the confines of the resort but also with our communities,” Meany added. “Being able to share our varied skills is always our main focus. Providing a comfortable learning environment allows for a greater relationship with our educational collaborators.”

He added that the resort seeks opportunities to support range of school-based initiatives, from environmental and leadership clubs to creative programmes.

Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture Hon. Rachel Taylor described the landscaping mission as a continuation of a long-standing relationship between the Ministry and Beaches Turks and Caicos. “This mission from our major private sector supporter, Beaches Turks and Caicos is a long standing activity,” Taylor said. “At Enid Capron Primary School, we are treated as family. Once we reach out to the resort, they have always responded in a positive way.”

Hon. Taylor said the support is particularly valuable in the areas of education and community development, where consistent private-sector engagement can amplify government efforts.

Nelene Swann, vice principal at Enid Capron Primary welcomed the refreshed grounds as a boost to morale before classes resume. “This is what true collaboration looks like,” she noted. “This is more than a facelift for the school. The team from Beaches Turks and Caicos has shown true commitment in adding to this learning environment for our students and teachers.”

She said the improved landscaping contributes to a more comfortable and inviting campus for all stakeholders. “This is a good way to start the new school year. This facelift will certainly make the facilities here at the school more appealing to our students, teachers and parents.

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Friday, 9 October 2026: The Turks and Caicos Islands Community College (TCICC) has earned international recognition after receiving the 2026 Educational Engagement Firebrand Award at the Ignition Community Conference (ICC) 2026.

The College was represented by Dr. P. Vijay Daniel, Lecturer in the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics, who presented TCICC’s Island Smart Utility Platform project before an international audience of industry professionals, system integrators, educators, researchers and technology experts.

Organised by Inductive Automation, ICC is an international conference focused on industrial automation, technology, system integration and innovative applications developed using the Ignition platform.

TCICC’s award-winning project integrates Ignition with affordable ESP32 microcontrollers to support sustainable agriculture while providing students with hands-on experience in Internet of Things (IoT), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and automation.

The project was also featured in the conference’s Discover Gallery, providing TCICC with an opportunity to showcase its work to approximately 1,900 attendees from across the international industrial automation and technology sectors.

Speaking to the significance of the achievement for education and innovation in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Honourable Rachel Marshall Taylor, Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, remarked:

“I congratulate Dr. P. Vijay Daniel and the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College on this outstanding achievement. Recognition on an international platform demonstrates the talent, innovation and potential that exist within our education system. Initiatives such as the Island Smart Utility Platform show how education, technology and practical learning can work together to prepare our students for the opportunities of the future.”

The recognition also reflects TCICC’s continued commitment to strengthening applied, innovative and technology-driven education while preparing students for an increasingly digital workforce.

Reflecting on what the achievement represents for the College and its students, Dr. Candice Williams, President/CEO of the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College, stated:

“This recognition is a significant achievement for TCICC and reflects our commitment to providing students with meaningful opportunities to apply what they learn in the classroom. We are extremely proud of Dr. Daniel and the work being undertaken within the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics. This award demonstrates that innovation taking place at TCICC can achieve international recognition and contribute to the continued development of the Turks and Caicos Islands.”

For Dr. Daniel, the conference provided an important opportunity to share TCICC’s work internationally while engaging with professionals and experts from around the world.

Sharing his experience of representing the College on the international stage, Dr. Daniel said:

“Representing the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College at ICC 2026 was a proud and meaningful experience. Presenting our project in the Discover Gallery and receiving the Firebrand Award for Educational Engagement was especially rewarding because it recognised the work we have been doing with our students.

To see TCICC and the Turks and Caicos Islands represented on such a major international platform was truly special.”

Dr. Daniel also expressed appreciation to the Management of TCICC for its continued support and for providing him with the opportunity to represent the College internationally.

PHOTO CAPTION:

Insert: Dr. P. Vijay Daniel and Mr. Menelik Astwood (Chair of Faculty for Computing, Engineering and Mathematics).

Turks and Caicos Islands, October 8, 2026 – Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort is deepening its long-standing collaboration with local craft vendors and transport operators, maintaining active support even during the off-peak season to sustain livelihoods and strengthen the islands’ tourism ecosystem.

Local entrepreneurs say the resort’s commitment is felt throughout the year, with particular emphasis on keeping businesses vibrant when visitor numbers dip. Veteran craft vendor Cassandra Gardiner highlighted the consistency that has become a hallmark of the association. “We are satisfied with the consistency shown by the resort and the local entrepreneurs,” Gardiner said. “During the slower season, they have taken the time to keep the entrepreneurial team active with customer service and marketing training workshops.”

The workshops, delivered in collaboration with the Sandals Foundation and the Sandals Corporate University, focus on practical skills such as product display, guest engagement and digital marketing-tools that help artisans convert resort traffic into steady sales even outside peak periods. The Cultural Marketplace, located adjacent to the property, continues to serve as a primary platform, while vendors are welcomed onto the resort grounds on scheduled days to reach a wider audience.

For local taxi associations, the resort’s backing translates into reliable business and sponsorship for community activities. Loftan Ellis, a veteran transport operator, described the support as “magical,” noting that Beaches is often the first to confirm sponsorship for association events and planned activities. “The consistency in business from Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort is one of the main reasons for us to maintain our livelihood while helping to build our primary industry, tourism,” Ellis added.

This alignment between resort operations and local transport providers helps stabilize income during quieter months, ensuring that drivers and small operators can remain active participants in the destination’s tourism value chain.

General Manager Deryk Meany framed this collaboration as central to the resort’s corporate social responsibility and philanthropic mission. “We remain committed to providing support to our environment and the communities that we serve,” Meany said.

He emphasised that growth at the property is intended to create shared opportunity. “As we grow, we will create greater opportunities for the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands to grow alongside us,” Meany said.

By maintaining training, market access and sponsorship across the calendar, the resort is helping to build resilience in a sector vulnerable to seasonality. For craft vendors and transport operators alike, this local support offers more than intermittent income; it provides a structured pathway to professionalise services, expand customer reach and contribute to a more diversified and sustainable local tourism economy.