Speaking with Stabroek Business about the significance of the Agreement RAC Director Eusi Evelyn said that the Academy’s accreditation provides Guyana with a “new, additional opportunity” to provide students in both the public and private sectors “with internationally recognized certification that will enhance the country’s human resource base.” The Agreement between the RACD and EDEXEL which became effective on June 3 last makes the local training institution only the third of its kind in the region to secure accreditation to offer EDEXEL programmes.
Evelyn told Stabroek Business that the new EDEXEL accreditation is expected to enhance the reputation of the RACD and that one anticipated spinoff was an increase in enrolment for its programmes in Project Management and other related disciplines by both public and private sector employees. Currently, the Academy offers both Diploma and Masters Degree programmes in Project Management and its student body includes employees of the Caribbean Community Secretariat, the United Nations Develop-ment Programme, the Guyana Revenue Authority, DFID and various private sector organizations. According to Evelyn the discipline of Project Management is particularly relevant to the management of “all facets of management of business enterprises and specialized projects and to enabling effective diagnosis and resolution of business-related problems. He said that it was the hope of the Academy that more local business owners and employees would seek to take advantage of the Project Management Programme programme being offered by RACD. Currently, 18 students are pursuing the Academy’s Diploma programme in Project Management while a further twelve are pursuing the Masters Degree programme. The Academy also offers an academic programme in Marketing which Evelyn said is also “particularly relevant” to the operations of private sector enterprises.
According to Evelyn the RACD, apart from seeking to promote the courses that it offers among public and private sector employees, is also seeking to provide greater access to its academic programmes by students who may lack the financial resources to enroll with the Academy. “We recognize that some students who may wish to further their studies may not be in a position to do so and we have secured an agreement with a local commercial bank under which persons can seek funding for tuition,” Evelyn said.
The move by the RACD to raise the profile of its academic programmes by securing internationally recognized accreditation comes in the wake of concerns expressed by the private sector regarding the high turnover of qualified staff and the challenges associated with securing qualified replacements. Last year, the University of Guyana and the private sector commenced an initiative designed to have the university play an enhanced role in providing specialized training to enhance the human resource capacity of the private sector and Evelyn told Stabroek Business that the RACD was also seeking to help build capacity in both the private and public sectors.
