To ensure that the TCICC is placed as the premier tertiary education institution in the TCI, delivering in a cost-effective way a quality suite of programmes and courses to address the evolving developmental needs and interests of the TCI communities, using technologies to maximize its reach and efficiencies, and providing facilities adequate to the task.

Any Strategic Plan for the Community College requires the following main factors for its success:

1. Clear and strong Government support, by way of both policies and financing.
2. Strong, dynamic leadership at the College.
3. Relevant programme offerings.
4. Innovative and persistent marketing of the College and its offerings.
5. Strong and cohesive Faculty and staff support and participation.
6. Regular and effective monitoring of implementation.

The Board of Governors of the TCICC advertised in June of 2014 for a Consultant to undertake a detailed analysis and examination of the operations of the College and the elaboration of a Strategic Plan for the College “that will optimally position the College for the next ten years with regard to institutional development and delivery of educational services that address the evolving needs of the Turks & Caicos Islands.”

The Grand Turk Campus continues to be the administrative centre of the College, with the offices of the Principal, the Registrar, the Financial Officer and the Librarian located there. It is the only Campus currently offering Computer Studies, General Studies, Public Sector Management, Environmental Sciences and Paralegal Studies. Both Campuses offer Business Studies, Computer Applications, Education, School Administration, Human Resource Management and Building/Design Technology.

The academic staff of the College all have the minimum postgraduate degree qualifications and are competent to deliver the various current offerings as well as to embrace, and collaborate in, the expansion of the College and its future offerings.

Collaborations

The TCICC has established agreements with Universities and other institutions in the Caribbean, North America and also in the United Kingdom, where many of its graduates pursue further education. It also seeks to establish formal articulation agreements whereby its students may receive advanced status after matriculation at the TCICC.  The TCICC delivers programmes leading to the Associate Degrees and Certificates in specific areas, as well as some non-credit continuing education courses. 

Since 2011, the TCICC has begun to offer courses leading to the Bachelor’s Degree in Education, Business and Hospitality Management in conjunction with the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ). The CCCJ is about to enter into discussions with the University of Technology with a view to UTech. becoming their degree awarding body, which could strengthen the acceptability of those degrees. This could be beneficial to the TCICC.

The College also has the opportunity to take greater advantage of courses and programmes delivered via distance mode by the Open Campus of the UWI. Additionally, it has collaborative links with the Joint Board of Teacher Education at UWI, Mona Campus, in the area of Education. The Teachers’ Colleges of Jamaica have just concluded an agreement whereby the B.Ed. degrees in a range of specializations will be awarded by UWI, managed by the JBTE while delivered by the colleges, and this initiative can be explored for TCICC involvement.

While there are many ideas and exciting possibilities to fulfil the potential of the TCICC, care has to be taken not to overload the capacity of the institution or the state to deliver in the five-year time-span.  Strategic choices have to be made as to what initiatives will be embarked on at this stage and what to defer. This does not mean that there are not also other important aspects to be undertaken or initiatives to be pursued, but some will have to await more conducive timing so as to avoid an overly ambitious undertaking. The areas chosen in the proposed Plan have been determined because of their strategic importance to ensuring the building over five years of a sound basis for a relevant, quality institution responsive to the developmental needs of the TCI.

• Identify and deliver  programmes, courses and offerings that will address many of the needs and attract the citizens of the TCI and place the College at the centre of tertiary/adult education;
• support these offerings with adequate services (library, technological and administrative);
• provide student developmental services and facilities that enhance the holistic development of students;
• ensure, with such external collaborations as feasible, adequate infrastructure and equipment to deliver quality education;
• ensure a solid financial base for this dynamic enterprise backed by concrete Government investment in capital needs;
• improve governance and administrative operations to ensure cohesion, efficiency and continuity;
• embark on robust marketing of the enterprise to attract increased enrolment and bolster through energetic Public Relations the image of the College and its connectivity to the communities of the TCI.

Arising from the guiding strategic goals above, the following seven core sections have been chosen for focus because of their strategic importance to ensuring objectives of the Plan:

1. Programmes and courses
2. Teaching Support Services
3. Student Support Services
4. Infrastructure
5. Finances
6. Governance & Administration
7. Marketing & Public Relations

Another area in the Terms of Reference was “the current two-campus situation”, implicitly to review whether it was feasible to maintain the two campuses. There is absolutely no doubt that both campuses are needed. As it is, both campuses attract almost equal registrations, and each has some specializations, which is as it should be, given the demographics. Providenciales has a population four times as large as Grand Turk, hence a potential that needs to be addressed. The current challenge is that it occupies rented space and the rent constitutes 6% of the total College budget. An optimal solution is for the state to invest (directly and/or through grant funding by donor agencies) in building a campus there on a phased basis, but there is no doubt that the continuation and expansion of both campuses are highly desirable and indeed necessary to address the needs of the TCI. The financial issues of having two campuses will be addressed not by contraction but by the judicious expansion of facilities and offerings and increased recruitment of students at both locations.

The success of this Strategic Plan depends not only on the support of the stakeholders, capital investment and dynamic leadership. A clear implementation and monitoring system is absolutely essential hence the following is also imperative for its success:

• Proper Operational Plan to implement the initiatives.
• Clear responsibilities for each initiative assigned to specific officers/agents to ensure the implementation.  This could be determined by a special implementation committee or by the Board in consultation with the college administrators.
• Periodic internal management meetings to monitor progress on implementation.
• Quarterly or half-yearly reporting to the Board on implementation, with any challenges being taken to a higher level as required.
• Annual reporting to the Minister of Education, Youth Sports & Culture on progress on implementation.