Celebrating 35 years of Human Capital Development
Ms. Wendy Augustus, Executive Director
When ROYTEC was founded in 1987 by RBTT Bank Limited, the institution's primary purpose was the preparation of graduates to meet the human resource requirements of the banking and financial services sectors. By the mid 90's, additional programmes were launched at the undergraduate level, and ROYTEC evolved into an educationally diverse institution offering the Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Education (Primary School) in collaboration with the University of New Brunswick. The Certified Financial Planner Education Programme was also being offered in collaboration with the Financial Advisors Association of Canada; and our own programmes were developed in management, information technology and corporate training.
The RBTT Bank Limited must be credited for being pioneers in the tertiary education sector, being the only financial institution in the Caribbean to embrace education and training as core functions of the Human Resources Department of a financial institution.
In 2006, as part of the reorganization of the internal structure of RBTT Bank Limited, the external operations of ROYTEC was transferred to UWI, St. Augustine and the institution's name was changed to the UWI School of Business and Applied Studies Limited (trading as ROYTEC). This relationship between the University of the West Indies (UWI) and ROYTEC is a synergistic one in which the strengths of UWI serve to benefit the academic operations of ROYTEC and strengthen its leadership position in key fields where UWI has distinctive competencies.
I pay special homage to our Board of Directors, currently led by its Chairman, Professor Brian Copeland, Principal, and Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus for its sterling support. Mention must also be made of the former Chairman of the UWI- ROYTEC board, Professor Emeritus Clement Sankat, the driving force behind the acquisition. When the UWI, St. Augustine acquired ownership of ROYTEC in 2006 and when the brand ROYTEC was officially handed over to the UWI on February 3rd, 2014, by RBC Bank Limited, a new and exciting model of partnership in Higher Education was announced. This hybrid private-public collaboration has remained committed to transforming the lives and career paths of students, delivering sector-leading performance, and bringing academic rigour and expertise in governance and in teaching and learning.
The UWI-ROYTEC Board has continued to honour the long history of successful collaborations established by the institution since its inception. Productive partnerships have facilitated access to new and difference pools of knowledge that emerge from the cross-cultural and multi-sectoral contexts in which these partnerships occur. They have facilitated sharing of best practice and provide the opportunity to leverage the powerful resources of industry and academia to create real world environments and curricular, and of course serve to build capacity.
UWI-ROYTEC has spearheaded one of the longest standing trans-national relationships in Trinidad and Tobago in higher education through its collaboration with the University of New Brunswick (UNB). That partnership has yielded one thousand, eight hundred and thirty-four Education graduates and two thousand, one hundred and thirty-three Business graduates, in the last nine years. We also introduced in September 2016, the only Masters in Business Psychology in the region through our partnership with Franklin University of Columbus Ohio.
Another longstanding partnership is with the Association of Real Estate Agents (AREA) which dates back to 1998. Both organisations collaborated to develop and offer relevant education and training programmes which were targeted specifically at developing the technical and human resource requirement of the real estate industry in Trinidad and Tobago.
Newer partnerships have been forged with ActionINVEST Caribbean Inc. of Guyana and T.A. Marry show Community College of Grenada, as the institution strives for regional reach, as a business expansion priority.
At the national level, we continue to enjoy productive collaborations with The British Caribbean Chamber; The Chamber of Commerce; The Association of Compliance Professionals; The Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturer's Association (TTMA); The Alzheimer's Association of Trinidad and Tobago (AzATT); Eshe's Learning Centre; We SAY YES and the Kwame Ture Education Centre.
Joining this esteemed institution in August 2014 under the aegis of the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, I embraced the work of the institution to inculcate in our students, strong practical, career-focussed skills, and to produce graduates who are work-ready and desired by employers. I inherited a strong institution credited to the leadership of Mr Earl Browne, the former Executive Director, and his predecessors Dr Anthony Bowrin, Mr Errol Simms and Mrs. Elphege Joseph. In 2017 UWI-ROYTEC achieved one of its most prestigious awards, that of Institutional Accreditation, granted by the Accreditation Council of Trinidad & Tobago (ACTT) for the maximum period of seven (7) years (2017 - 2024). The institution continues to be driven by high standards of quality and shaped by the core values of excellence; integrity; equity; innovation; lifelong learning; and student centeredness.
As an institution with a strong quality culture, we recognize that quality is necessary for the portability and currency of certification and the provision of world class education that meets international standards. Our successes over the years can be attributed to good governance, corporate and institutional partnerships, outstanding quality management systems, an applied approach to teaching and learning, high levels of student satisfaction, strong faculty loyalty and commitment to the mission and vision of the institution.
Of course, the road to success is never a smooth one and as we celebrate our 35th anniversary, we are indeed mindful of the heavy cloud of uncertainty which had to be navigated over the last 2 years, in the form of a global pandemic. But the adage "Smooth seas do not make skilful sailors" certainly holds true and like so many other institutions and businesses today, UWI-ROYTEC stands fortified by the rough waters and turbulence faced. A special thank you must go to the Management, faculty, students, and staff for their support during that turbulent, yet transformational period.
Together, we embrace the future as a set of opportunities to do things differently and remain committed to creating continuous, inclusive, flexible, and sustainable learning environments and to strengthening our efforts at inspiring change through the development of local, regional and international leaders.
To view UWI-ROYTEC's 35th Anniversary Newspaper Supplement from the Sunday Express of July 10, 2022 please click on the following link:
Read the 35th Anniversary Supplement