Excelsior Comm College forges work-and-study alliance with Dawgen

Multidisciplinary professional service firm Dawgen Global has forged a partnership with Excelsior Community College to provide employment for its students as they study.

In the first instance, the firm will be taking on 20 to 30 students and thereafter, a minimum of 50 students per year.

Dawgen Global Executive Chairman Dr Dawkins Brown explained that one of the key challenges faced by students after completing tertiary education is the need for work experience.

“That has been a challenge for years and we have found a solution. We see this initiative as value-added and also part of our social contribution, so we launched what is now dubbed the EdEx programme, which is education and experience. This allows selected students to pursue their courses part time, more so in the evenings, and to be fully employed,” he explained.

Students will be offered jobs in the areas of business administration, accounting, auditing and information technology.

Additionally, selected clients have expressed a desire for Dawgen Global to recruit on their behalf for posts in the hospitality, tourism and biochemistry fields.

“In keeping with the policy of providing experience, after a year, each student will move to a higher level and so those junior positions will always be made available to keep the cycle going,” Brown explained.

Principal Philmore McCarthy said the institution is happy to partner with Dawgen Global as it represents an industry response to the need for experience.

“Our students come to us to receive their education and training with a desire to be employed and this provides that opportunity. We are not just focused on them getting the academic and technical skills for industry, but to actually enable them to participate in industry while being trained and getting the appropriate experiences that will enable them to meet their goals,” he said.

As part of its College Week activities, Excelsior hosted an open day on Tuesday, where students from several high schools were introduced to undergraduate programmes offered by the institution and also those offered by EXED Academy, the newest arm of the community college.

EXED Academy was created with the specific goal of implementing the education ministry’s Sixth Form Pathways Programme.

Dawgen Global also conducted a job fair and recruitment drive on the campus for existing students and the 1,070 students enrolled in the sixth-form programme.

“Our experience has shown that a number of students do not enrol here initially because they are expected to become a breadwinner for their families after high school. This opportunity will enable them to achieve both tasks, so we are pleased about this partnership and it can only grow from strength to strength,” McCarthy said.

judana.murphy@gleanerjm.com