PHILIPSBURG-- University of St. Martin (USM) officially opened its new school, the St. Martin School of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning (SCELL), with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the institution on Wednesday.
SCELL was launched on August 3, at USM. Dr. Natasha Gittens is SCELL Director of Customised Training and Human Capital Development.
The SCELL initiative was developed based on successful training relationships that USM had established over the past year, in particular the one with Windward Islands Bank (WIB) under the leadership of Managing Director Derek Downes.
SCELL is the business arm of USM, as such all clients can expect professionalism and a customised translation of their requests in the form of trainings, workshops and courses that lead to certification. The premise of the school is simple, but significant to provide customised training and workshops for businesses large and small: banks, healthcare organisations, schools, non-governmental organisations, government agencies, and offer adult learner workshops for individuals looking to advance or pursue educational opportunities.
One of USM’s goals is for SCELL to become “St. Maarten’s vehicle to excellence” by providing St. Maarten’s business community with the tools they need to develop human capital and to increase service excellence.
WIB had said earlier that it was extremely pleased to be associated with this very important initiative of USM’s, given the importance continuing education plays in the development of human resources.
The bank’s middle management recently benefited from specialised business courses tailored to its needs. WIB is SCELL’s key sponsor.
Gittens has been with USM since April 2014, in the capacity of a full-time Business and Hospitality faculty member, in addition to working on special university projects such as retraining 120 teachers in English as a first language on St. Eustatius.
