Community Colleges Offer Myriad Teaching and Learning Opportunities

Aspiring tertiary students are being encouraged to see Community Colleges as an opportunity and not just a viable option.

Executive Director of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ), Donna Powell Wilson, said this is due to myriad teaching and learning opportunities that can be accessed through community colleges in Jamaica.

“Our institutions are strategically positioned across the island, enabling learners to access quality, affordable post-secondary education,” she told JIS News at a Think Tank, on Wednesday (June 18).

“We believe that access to education should not be a barrier for our communities. This aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal Four, which advocates for quality education. When discussing quality education, we emphasise access, employability skills, and ensuring that learners are well prepared to address issues, not only within our country but also globally,” Dr. Powell Wilson said.

The CCCJ-affiliated learning institutions offer a standardised curriculum, examinations, assessments, and certifications.

Twenty-five programmes are offered at the associate degree level and 15 bachelor’s degree programmes.

These programmes are designed to incorporate on-the-job training, including work experience components that give learners practical, hands-on skills.

The curricula are competency-based, focusing on skill development and assessment.

Dr. Powell Wilson also disclosed that the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information (MOESYI), for the first time, is offering scholarships to students to pursue studies at community colleges, effective in the 2025/2026 academic year.

She disclosed that partnerships are also being forged, both regionally and internationally. “Our programmes are dedicated to empowering learners through active engagement. Therefore, we provide opportunities for students to interact not only locally but also regionally by establishing partnerships with various institutions. These collaborations support our commitment to Sustainable Development Goal number 17: Partnership for the Goals,” she explained. Partnerships are formed with institutions in Canada, and through these, students participate in visits and activities as part of the Emerging Leaders of the Americas Programme (ELAP), fostering international collaboration and leadership development. “The Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica is committed to fostering sustainable education, workforce development, and community empowerment across Jamaica and the Caribbean region,” Dr. Powell Wilson said.

The CCCJ is a statutory agency under the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.

Since its establishment by an Act of Parliament in December 2001, the CCCJ has been dedicated to supervising, coordinating, regulating, promoting, and developing five community colleges, along with regional franchise arrangements with Turks and Caicos Islands Community College.

Members of the CCCJ are Bethlehem Moravian College, St. Elizabeth; Brown’s Town Community College, St. Ann; College of Agriculture, Science and Education, Portland; Excelsior Community College, Kingston; Knockalva Polytechnic College, Hanover; Knox Community College, Clarendon; Montego Bay Community College, St. James; Portmore Community College, St. Catherine; The Moneague College, St. Ann and Trench Town Polytechnic College, Kingston.

For more information, persons can call 876-922-9299 or send an email to info@cccj.edu.jm or follow the Council on social media @thecccj.