Smooth Sailing for Expansion in Maritime Studies at UTT

The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, for the advancement of Marine Education and Training on May 29th, 2012. UTT’s academic maritime programmes are fully accredited and the University’s Chaguaramas Campus boasts of a state-of-the-art simulator room; the first of its kind in the Southern Caribbean. The Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Marine Institute, is one of the world’s most respected centres for Marine education and applied research.

Advantages of MoU
Senator the Honourable Fazal Karim, Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education, spoke of Trinidad and Tobago being, "Poised to become a major player in the Maritime Industry" and saw this MoU as an opportune collaboration, "…to develop local skills such as Bridge Watch, Remotely Operated Vehicles to support our deep water drilling and Naval Architecture."
His Excellency Philip Buxo, High Commissioner of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to Canada, served as a Witness to the MoU and declared his "full support" for a "Regional Centre of Excellence in Trinidad and Tobago for Maritime and Marine Industry Training."
Mr. Glenn Blackwood, Vice-President of Memorial University for the Fisheries and Marine Institute (MI), declared that Trinidad and Tobago, "is well on [its] way to be the headquarters in [the] region for the Maritime Industry" and affirmed that it is for this reason that the Memorial University of Newfoundland, "wants to support [Trinidad and Tobago’s] growth in this sector".

Chairman of the Board of Governors of UTT, Mr. Curtis R. Manchoon, reiterated UTT’s role by stating, "As a University, [UTT] must respond to the growing demands of industry as well as Government’s policy decisions to increase our competitiveness in this sector. We have the opportunity to increase our research capability and develop local capacity using the resources of Memorial University."
Both UTT and the Memorial University of Newfoundland stand to benefit greatly from this arrangement. Staff and student exchanges, programme development initiatives, co-branding, the establishment of joint programme offerings, as well as, seminar-delivery and lectures by industry-experts, are opportunities available to either University.