Denise Reid, Freelance Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The Montego Bay Community College (MBCC) has remained a beacon of hope for students in the west since its inception in 1975.
The college maintains an enviable academic track record which improves annually.
The Pre-University Department is able to boast acceptance of seven of its students into the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination results were no less outstanding; overall, students did well with the majority of courses seeing pass rates of 90 to 100 per cent.
The Hospitality and Creative Studies Department saw all 18 students in the Bachelor of Science in hospitality and tourism programme completing the year with 100 per cent passes. Of the 45 students registered for the associate degree in hospitality and tourism, 100 per cent passes were registered in 10 courses; 98 per cent in seven and between 80 and 96 per cent in the remaining eight.
Educating Western Jamaica
MBCC is the only institution in western Jamaica which offers an associate degree in architecture, and this year the Computer and Technology Department has confirmed that four of its graduates from the architectural technology programme have been accepted into the University of Technology's Caribbean School of Architecture.
In addition, MBCC students received all three annual awards presented by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. The recipients are Sanika Sutherland and Sydoney Seaton, who completed the examinations in three sittings and attained the highest mark in June and December 2006, respectively. The third is Kay-Ann Gibbs, the youngest graduate of those who sat both examinations.
Our rate of success
The Westmoreland campus (Frome) has achieved a 98 per cent success rate for the associate degree programmes in business studies, hospitality and tourism and the proud winner of The Courts Junior Management Award for 2007 is Yonique Wilson, a student of the Business Department.
Head of the Pre-University Department, Mr. Paul Graham, said that he believes that this year's results are phenomenal. When asked if these were the results expected, he confidently stated "we expect even better". He explains that "the staff is very keen, concerned, student centred and push the students to the limit for them to function".
The institution remains dedicated to the maintenance of this kind of performance as they seek to improve performance in all areas and satisfy the human resource needs of the west.
