March 2020 Volume 3, Issue 1 C ARICAD and the Barbados Vocational Training Board (BVTB) joined together this month to celebrate 40 years of sterling service to the citizens of Barbados and the wider region. During an official Tree-Planting Ceremony to commemorate the two organisations’ 40th Anniversaries at the BVTB’s Sayes Court location, Programme Specialist at CARICAD, Franklyn Michael, revealed that CARICAD is proud of the work they have been able to do with the BVTB thus far, and intends to continue collaborating with the Board. Continues on Pages 2-3 Click here to follow the latest WHO guidelines on the COVID-19 pandemic. You can also look out for CARICAD’s special COVID-19 Director of Training at the BVTB, Henderson Thompson (left), planting a tree with Programme Specialist at CARICAD, Franklyn Michael. awareness edition of the Horizon On Monday, March 9th, four students of the Barbados Community College’s (BCC) Bachelor of Arts Degree in Media and Journalism programme visited CARICAD on assignment as part of their MultiMedia Newsroom (MMNR). The students, Alec Begg, Kimberley Cummins, Christopher Drayton and Sonja Moses, engaged members of staff at CARICAD in intense interviews, and took many photographs. Four stories written by the students have been placed in this edition. See their articles on Pages 4, 6, 7 and 9. 1
Staff of the BVTB and CARICAD were present to commemorate the 40th anniversary tree-panting event. “CARICAD works principally with the public sectors of 17 member states of CARICOM, but we work with all national agencies and institutions. Over the course of the last five to six years, we have worked very closely with the Barbados Vocational Training Board. We have facilitated the development of the last two strategic plans, and during the course of last year, we had a very intensive programme of training for middle and senior staff at the BVTB. Director of Training at the BVTB Henderson Thompson said that his organisation has been pleased with the partnership formed with CARICAD, since its inception. Continues on next page Programme Specialist at CARICAD, Franklyn Michael speaks to the people gathered at the tree-panting ceremony. At right is Director of Training at the Barbados Vocational Training Board, Henderson Thompson with other BVTB officials. 2
Director of Training at the BVTB, Henderson Thompson (left), gets his hands deeply involved in the tree-planting process while CARICAD’s Programme Specialist, Franklyn Michael gives his wife, Jennifer Michael, Assistant Director of Training - Operations at BVTB, some encouragement. “We’ve been asked as an institution to develop partnerships within the industry. We’ve chosen to develop partnerships not just with our industry partners in Barbados, but with a CARICOM agency. That is significant, because BVTB is moving regional and beyond,” Thompson said. Mr. Michael fully endorsed his sentiments: “It’s a partnership that we all embrace, because over the course of the last five years, we have become pretty much one team. It’s a partnership we intend to expand, because we believe it presents a model for the future, where CARICAD is a pivotal institution, working with institutions like the University of the West Indies, BVTB and with regional bodies can bring everyone together, working towards the development of our people, producing a higher quality of skills, not only technical, but also academic and management skills as well,” Michael revealed. (Source: Article adapted from The Barbados Advocate.) 3
O n March 8th, CARICAD and the Barbados Vocational Training Board (BVTB) also came together to celebrate the joint 40th anniversary at a church service held at the St. Barnabas Church. Remarks were given by the Honourable Santia Bradshaw, M.P., Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training and by Chairman of CARICAD Mr. Konata Lee. BVTB’s Chairman Mr. Benjamin Niles and Director of Training Mr. Henderson Thompson made presentations at the service. Chairman of CARICAD Konata Lee as he delivered remarks on the behalf of CARICAD. Chairman of CARICAD Konata Lee (left) with Selwyn Smith, the first Executive Secretary of CARICAD at the recent anniversary church service. By BCC student Sonja Moses P lans are in motion to engage in an accelerated level of improving knowledge of CARICAD in Barbados and in the region, particularly in the area of access to information. CARICAD currently works with 17 Caribbean territories and in each one, the organisation tries to ensure that its mandate is known and that it is open to provide support to the public sector in general. Executive Director of CARICAD Devon Rowe said, “There are varying levels of what we do, but this being our 40th anniversary, we are going to be out in the media more often. Not only to be known though, but to let people know that we are here to help the public sector across the Caribbean.” One of the issues for some institutions in Barbados is access to information. CARICAD recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University of the West Indies allowing for greater access to research materials for students. Since then CARICAD has not put forth any other plans for other learning institutions, such as the Barbados Community College (BCC) or the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI). “We have not put forth a formal MOU with another educational institution in the Caribbean as yet. Just thinking about BCC, the absence of an MOU does not stop us from collaborating with the institution as we are doing today. The MOU with BCC if we were to go to that level, would be something we would have to discuss further in-house and also engage the leadership of BCC as well. CARICAD, notwithstanding, remains open to all forms of collaborative approaches including internships to the extent they align with one’s objectives,” Mr. Rowe stated. He continued, “Students always have access to us here, we already have a relationship with SJPI; we are quite open to taking interns from BCC but as you may have seen our resources are quite small so we have to engage very carefully in terms of the work that we do. Outside of interns we are always prepared to open our doors up for you to come look at our library and do research as is required.” CARICAD has hosted several interns from the BCC over the years. 4
F or the first quarter of this year, CARICAD’s Leadership Development Programme undertook a number of initiatives. The Mid-Level Leadership Development Programme highlighted on Page 6 had its virtual close on January 30 with 18 participants successfully completing the programme from six countries. In February, our Transformational Leadership Development Programme started. This fully virtual programme consists of four modules, covering the themes of Leading Self, Leading in Context and Complexity, Leading Through Others, and Leading Change and Transformation. The programme design includes facilitated learning sessions, Action Learning, Executive Coaching and offline assignments. The programme will end in July. CARICAD will also be collaborating with eGOV Jamaica Limited, a public body in Jamaica, to deliver a customised leadership development programme. This programme is aimed at developing the leadership capacity of the organisation, to support more effective team engagement and capability to support its transition to an ICT Authority. Blogs were disseminated and three successful webinars were also hosted during the quarter on: 1. Action Learning in the Caribbean – Case Study of the Rebuilding of Dominica’s Public Library 2. Implementing Results-Based Management in the Caribbean, a partnership with the CARICOM Secretariat; and 3. Addressing Common Pitfalls in Employment Relations in the Caribbean With the advent of the COVID 19 pandemic, the Leading Change and Transition workshop that was slated for June 2020 had to be postponed until further notice. However, CARICAD will soon be announcing its scholarships for its Introduction to Leadership Workshop in April 2020. Visit (www.caribbeanleadership.org) for further details and https://www.caribbeanleadership.org/ blog/posts to view our blogs. Montserrat Premier visits CARICAD P remier Easton Taylor Farrell of Montserrat visited CARICAD recently, immediately after he attended the Intersessional Meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government which was held in Barbados in February. Premier Taylor Farrell reiterated his support for the work of CARICAD, stating that he could personally attest to the relevance and high quality of CARICAD’s work. Discussions with the CARICAD team during the visit centred around areas of possible technical assistance for Montserrat this year. In the photographs, Premier Taylor Farrell (second right) stands with (from left) Deborah Lewis Director of External Affairs Montserrat, Devon Rowe, Executive Director of CARICAD, CARICAD’s Assistant Director, Programmes and Planning, Rosemund Warrington and Programme Implementation Officer Trudy Waterman. Inset is CARICAD’s Programme Specialist Franklyn Michael greeting the Premier. 5
CARICAD's Chairman of its Board of Directors. Mr. Konata Lee (at right) was on hand to congratulate Adrian Pilgrim (2nd left) of the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency and Calvert Herbert (4th left) of the Regional Security Service, recent graduates of CARICAD's Mid-Level Leadership Development Programme who are based in Barbados. Also in the photo from left are, CARICAD's Executive Director Devon Rowe, Project Implementation Specialist Trudy Waterman and Leadership Development and Institutional Strengthening Specialist Dr. Lois Parkes. (photos by Alec Begg) CARICAD's Chairman of its Board of Directors. Mr. Konata Lee (at left in both photos) presented the respective certificates to Adrian Pilgrim of the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency and Calvert Herbert of the Regional Security Service. By BCC Student Alec Begg O n Monday, March 9th, graduates of the Mid-Level Leadership Development Programme who are based in Barbados received their awards at the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD). Dr. Lois Parkes, Leadership Development and Institutional Strengthening Specialist at CARICAD, congratulated graduates Adrian Pilgrim from the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency and Calvert Herbert from the Regional Security Service for completing the course. Pilgrim explained that he learnt a great deal from the programme and was happy he had participated in it. He stated that the course pushed him out of his comfort zone and taught him the relevance of team dynamics and emotional intelligence. “I think the programme was extremely relevant and it helped me to tune into the environment around me,” he said. He also said that the change management project, which is a key part of the course, was very insightful and helped him to understand the responsibilities of leadership. Herbert was very happy with the programme and noted that it was very timely. He highlighted the regional nature of the course and stressed how useful it was to hear different perspectives from like-minded people across the Caribbean. Herbert thanked Dr. Parkes for challenging them to reconsider the way they develop their departments. Dr. Parkes believes that capacity-building is pivotal to public sector transformation for the region, which is why the programme was started eight years ago. 6
The BCC group with staff at CARICAD. (photos by Alec Begg) By BCC student Kimberley Cummins E xecutive Director of the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) Devon Rowe believes that the stability of the economy should not be used as an excuse for companies not to put more financial backing behind tertiary institutions. In fact, he contended that now, more than ever, was an opportune time to support this country’s future leaders. Speaking during a recent presentation to the Barbados Community College’s (BCC) media lab at his office at the corner of Weymouth and Roebuck Street, St. Michael, Rowe emphasised CARICAD’s seriousness about collaborating with the BCC. “We think that this type of collaboration fits well with our focus on youth and innovation and we look forward to continued work and we also look forward to your own bits of ideation and creation, and innovation that you can bring to us so we can become more effective than we already are...The future of Barbados rests with our youth and any focus that we can put on our youth and their development can only redound to the benefit of the Barbados society and economy,” he iterated. To show appreciation for the students’ efforts at news reporting and photography, CARICAD’s Executive Director Devon Rowe made a donation to the media lab at the college, which was accepted by tutor Mrs. Petra Emmanuel on the behalf of the BCC. 7
The winning SVGCC team. (Photo by iwnsvg.com) T he St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC) has emerged victorious in the 2020 Windward Islands Debating Competition (WIDC). The St. Vincent students defeated the T.A. Marryshow Community College of Grenada in the finals of the competition which was held at the Goodwill Parish Hall in Dominica this month. Leader of the St. Vincent Community College debating team Deaney Gellizeau and fellow debater Zachary Richards opposed the topic, “The lack of youth involvement in local politics is a direct result of the political culture of the region”. Head of University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus-Dominica, Dr. Kimone Joseph announced the winning team, “The proposing team from Grenada received a total of 381.5 points and the opposing team from St. Vincent and the Grenadines received a total of 399.5 points. This means that the winning team for today in the finals is the St. Vincent and the Grenadines team.” Tiara Joseph, who represented the Grenada team, received the award for best speaker of the finals and also best overall speaker of the competition. Team SVGCC also received the “Team Excellence” award, graciously donated by CARICAD, which was designated for the team which best exemplified the true value of the competition. Team leader Gellizeau said that the debating competitions promote regional integration. “I think that it really promotes regional integration which is a very challenging issue of the Caribbean right now and with this kind of integration movement going on right now you are going to have a lot more interaction between people from different colleges,” he stated. He continued, “So information is going to be shared easily, quickly among the people of the different countries and it’s really a good thing to see [that] all the Caribbean countries are united together.” Gellizeau said that it is not about luck all the time. “Sometimes you really have to work hard to get where you are and I think that all of our teammates put in the effort,” he noted. (Source: Adapted from TDBN-DOMINICA) 8
By BCC Student Christopher Drayton C ARICAD will be building stronger relationships with younger people entering the public sector service in order to enhance social and economic development across the region. This is part of its mandate in working with the public administration in the Caribbean, and the organisation believes that training and supporting young people in the sector is the way forward. CARICAD recently acted on one of its initiatives by providing trophies to the Windward Islands Debating Competition to actively support and promote values in relation to team work, research and organisation, respect for human beings and public speaking skills. Programme Specialist Franklyn Michael, described a vision that CARICAD would like to be fulfilled in the regional public sector. “What we would all love to see is a consistent focus on two related areas in the public sector: providing high quality service consistently and focusing on results,” he stated. He acknowledges roles of the regulatory, control and processing factors in the public service but believes it should be more of an instrument of development in our region rather than one of control. “We want to move in the direction of innovation, results, and getting the public service to provide service that reaches expectations, international standards and is convenient all in one package with the focus being on the citizen.” He noted the advantages young Barbadians have had due to CARICAD’s involvement in the Public Sector Transformation Charter. “A number of Barbadians now have strategic planning skills because they have benefitted from our Leadership Development Programmes.” Concerning the CARICOM Community, Mr. Michael notes that Barbados has had an excellent relationship with CARICAD over the past 40 years and has been the host country and a major source of financial support. “Barbados has always been a permanent member of the Board of CARICAD, so Barbados has been able to influence and express what needs and what areas of development it would like from CARICAD, particularly in the areas of Public Sector Transformation.” Mr. Michael stated that he is pleased One of the trophies CARICAD provided to the Windward Islands Debating Competition. 9 to see CARICAD gaining recognition for its work once again in the Caribbean Community, and for its 40th year, will enhance its focus on educating young people on what CARICAD is all about.
P rofessor the Most Honourable V. Eudine Barriteau, Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, greets Devon Rowe, Executive Director of CARICAD at the official launch of the School of Governance and Public Policy (SGPP) on Tuesday, February 25th, 2020. The SGPP will be administered by the Department of Government, Sociology, Social Work and Psychology in collaboration with the Centre for Professional Development and Lifelong Learning, Faculty of Social Sciences, the UWI Cave Hill Campus. The SGPP will not be a physical brick and mortar school, but instead it will be a training hub for executives across various sectors. The CARICAD Horizon is a regular publication of the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD). The Horizon has superseded the “Chronicle”. The Editor-in-Chief is CARICAD’s Executive Director, Devon Rowe. The Production Team comprises: Franklyn Michael, Rosemund Warrington, Dr. Lois Parkes, Trudy Waterman and Angela Eversley. Previous editions can be viewed at: December 2019: https://publizr.com/caricadsec/horizon-dec-2019-final October 2019: https://publizr.com/caricadsec/horizon-oct-2019-final Board Meeting 2019 Special Edition: https://publizr.com/car…/caricad-august-2019-special-edition April 2019: https://publizr.com/caricadsec/caricad-april-2019-newsletter-final December 2018: https://publizr.com/caricadsec/caricad-december-2018-newsletter-hl August 2018: https://publizr.com/caricadsec/caricad-august-2018-newsletter-final December 2017: https://publizr.com/caricadsec/caricad-december2017-newsletter July 2017: https://publizr.com/caricadsec/caricad-horizon-july-final The Caribbean Centre for Development Administration, 1st Floor Weymouth Corporate Centre, Roebuck Street, Bridgetown, Barbados Tel: 246-427-8535 Fax: 246-436-1709 Email: caricad@caricad.net Website: www.caricad.net 10
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