JSE’s Chairman’s Presentation
At the signing of
MOU at the Northern Caribbean University
Mandeville, Manchester
OnThursday October 21, 2010 at 2:00 p.m.
Theme: Strategic Partnerships
Strategic Alliance is a partnership that is a voluntary collaborative agreement between two or more parties in which all participants agree to work together to achieve a common purpose or undertake a specific task and to share risks, responsibilities, resources, competencies and benefits. A landmark has been created today with the Jamaica Stock Exchange forming a strategic alliance with Northern Caribbean University (NCU) an institution that has been formed over 103years, in the area of continuous professional education. This collaboration is of utmost importance as in today’s dynamic world, changes are fast and sometimes furious, with technology becoming obsolete in mere seconds.
Today the advancement of technology (which includes twitter, facebook, and other social networking sites) has dictated the way we study and conduct businesses. Therefore, the need for continuous professional education cannot be placed on the ‘backburner’ and for this reason, the Board of the Stock Exchange of which I am the Chairman, sanctioned the JSE e-Learning campus, “to enable continuing professional education for the financial services industry” and to help you to stay on top of the game. In our many deliberations we wanted a medium which was cost effective and efficient in delivering this programme and we all agreed that the most effective way to achieve this was through the internet. By using the internet we are able to provide great benefits to our stakeholders:
· Whereby more persons can be educated using this method
· By providing one-class-at-a-time approach allowing busy persons to focus on their education and balance the demands of work and family
· By providing access to staff and faculty that foster a student-centered learning community
· By providing state-of-the-art online classroom technology and user-friendly format to enhance learning
· Providing the convenience of studying at your own leisure
· Providing an on-line program that will cost you less
With these obvious advantages, the Board unhesitatingly sanctioned the e-Learning Campus and mandated the Management of the JSE to introduce the pogramme to the public.
Now that the e-Learning Campus has started we recognize the need to form strategic alliances with institutions such as the NCU that will not only enhance and allow their students to benefit from this cutting edge technology, but which will also facilitate them to be more competitive in their respective fields.
We asked ourselves were else to begin than with one of Jamaica’s most prestigious educational institutions which boasts a rich history and has not only impacted Jamaica, but has achieved excellence internationally.
The NCU has recently won the Microsoft Imagine Cup Competition 2010, and we commend these two teams for their outstanding achievements. A few years ago, NCU placed 3rd in this event and we have noticed they were not satisfied with that position and persisted with grit and determination until they reached the top. This says a lot about this noble institution and what better institution to form strategic alliance with? These two institutions (JSE & NCU) share similar commitment ….. that is, aspiring for the highest!!
It is clear that education is the best method through which we can make great strides as a country and Northern Caribbean University has been relentless in this pursuit. They recognize the need for continuous education, this can be attested by the introduction of their distance education system and their e-Learning Institute. Therefore, we have no doubt that the JSE/NCU will be a very good strategic alliance.
There has been many strategic alliances formed between institutions, some have worked and some have collapsed. However, we recognize that strategic alliances will bring results if we know the 20/80 principle that is 80% of results come from 20% of effort. Thus, to achieve more with less, you must be selective, not exhaustive. It is therefore important that we work out where 20% of effort can lead to 80% of returns. Consequently, we have to strive for excellence in the key areas such as:
Students enrollment
Students participation
Use of Lectures Material to enhance the Teaching Learning process and
Maximize the use of the available resources.
We at the Exchange are committed to have the resources available and we are positive without a shadow of a doubt, that NCU will make the students available and with the participation and the commitment of your distinguished cadre of lectures will definitely contribute to the success of this alliance.
