WASHINGTON, D.C. – Officials from Grenada have been exploring various ways in which Grenada can benefit from Educational opportunities through the United States Department of Commerce (DOC).
Officials of both countries discussed these areas on Monday via a Teleconference initiated by the Embassy of Grenada in Washington, DC. And which included Mrs Elizabeth Henry-Greenidge, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development; Ambassador Gillian Bristol, Head of Mission, Embassy of Grenada; Ms. Shawn Marie Ricks, Senior International Trade Specialist, Office of the Western Hemisphere, DOC; and Ms. Michelle Brooks, International Trade Specialist, Office of North and Central America and the Caribbean, DOC.
They discussed Grenada’s participation in a series of engagements including the Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF) which is scheduled for Atlanta, Georgia, November 14-16, 2010.
Grenada is considering participating in two of the education panels at the ACF: “The Role of Technology in Improving Academic Performance” for which the lead is Promethean Inc. and “Retooling the Post-Secondary Education Model: The Growing Influence of Community Colleges in the Americas”.
The ACF will also offer a prime opportunity for Grenada to advance its educational and trade agenda as a meeting is being organised between the US Secretary for Commerce and CARICOM Heads of Delegation attending the ACF in November. While the teleconference focussed on education, the ACF is geared primarily toward trade and investment opportunities. The DOC officials informed that key Ministers in Trade and Finance of the Grenada Government have been invited to attend.
The DOC is also organising an Educational Trade Mission in 2011 to bring representatives of academic institutions in the USA to counterpart institutions in the Caribbean, and agreed at the teleconference to include Grenada.
The DOC representatives also discussed the possibility of educational institutions in Grenada teaming up with counterpart institutions in the USA on study exchange programmes and teacher training programmes. Permanent Secretary Henry-Greenidge’s interest in improving the capacity at the Grenada National Training Agency was met with a favourable response from the DOC officials.
Other initiatives discussed included the DOC assistance with contacts at major IT and ITC companies in the USA to explore possibilities for cooperation and partnership with the Grenada Government’s initiatives in education.
