Ministry, UCC Partner To Offer 5,000 Scholarships
March 11, 2018
The University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) has entered a public-private partnership with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information in offering 5,000 new scholarships under its Early College and Advanced Placement Programme (ECAP).
The ECAP initiative, which begins in September 2018, will provide opportunities for students aged 16 to 18. They will be afforded training and the opportunity to improve their skill sets, while working towards their readiness for the job market.
In addition to the job-ready training, ECAP will provide exposure to life-coping skills, personal development, civics, personal and national values, and the tenets of good citizenship. ECAP will be offered initially through 50 selected high schools from 10 parish clusters across Jamaica.
"We are investing in the young people of this country who have a clear vision and a deep yearning for high-quality student education, and we will support them to build a transparent, compelling plan for their academic development. This is an excellent opportunity to establish an academic career with a leading local university with strong international connections and will play a key role in our ambitious plans for the future," said Dr Winston Adams, group executive chairman for the UCC Group.
ADVANCED STAGES
ECAP is now at an advanced stage of planning for implementation in July and September 2018 and provides pre-university credits and technical educational training and certification for young people, ages 16 to 18, who will be graduating from high school and who are seeking to further advance their matriculation to university. These associate degrees are designed to guide high school students in making informed career choices, thereby providing a deep pool of highly skilled and knowledgeable workers.
SKILLS COMPONENTS
Seven skills components will be offered. They which include logistics and chain supply management, construction site management, business administration, information technology, tourism and hospitality management, among others.
Students will be provided with the necessary learning materials and will also benefit from free access to the UCC online portal for course content offered by its international partner universities in the United States. The Students Loan Bureau has also partnered with the UCC to make available loans for students who will be signing up for the UCC degrees being offered in the ECAP programme, as well as 50 per cent scholarships will also be provided by the UCC Foundation US Inc to students who enrol in the ECAP programme.
The ECAP programme will offer to students both UCC associate degrees as well as the occupational associate degrees in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information. The UCC associate degrees will also allow students to be able to matriculate into Florida International University bachelor's programmes as well as other UCC-accredited bachelor's degree programmes.
