Inaugural graduation ceremony for Dominica State College’s Center of Excellence

The first graduation from the Centre of Excellence in Information Technology at Dominica State College has taken place with a ceremony in Roseau.

The successful students reached the end of their course just one year after the center was opened.

Kelver Darroux, the minister for information, science, telecommunications and technology, expressed pride that a project that began in 2011 was starting to bear fruit.

And he described the graduation ceremony as a milestone for the current government in their plans to equip skilled professionals in the area of ICT.

“Today’s graduation ceremony of the first group of IT certified professionals represents the initial achievement in building of a cadre of highly trained specialists for IT for our local and also regional market,” Darroux said.

“As we are all aware human capital is one of the major pillars stones for economic growth and that is why as minister responsible for information technology, I recommended the cabinet that in the initial stages of the Center of Excellence all classes should be offered free of charge.”

Significant education establishment

The centre was established in collaboration with the government of India, one of the leading countries in information communication technology.

High Commissioner of the Republic of India to Dominica Bishwadip Dey, believes that the Center of Excellence is a significant development for the island.

It promotes skilled development and self-reliance and allows people to contribute to the local economy, he says.

Reginald Austrie, acting prime minister while Roosevelt Skerrit was overseas, said that while ICT can play a significant role in the social, economic and cultural development of small island states like Dominica, critical to this is the development of the human resource capacity of the country.

“This graduation ceremony and many others which we hope will follow in the future is the beginning of a process of empowering and equipping our young minds in meeting the needs and economic challenges of an ever-changing world in which technology will continue to transform the way we live, the way we work and the way we do business.”

Nine individuals are being trained to ensure the sustainability of the centre when the three Indian IT trainers leave after two years.