CMI awards scholarship to Miss Jamaica contestant

The Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) has awarded Miss Jamaica World 2014 contestant, Toni-Ann Oliver, with a $1-million scholarship to pursue a master of science degree in logistics and supply chain management.

Dr Fritz Pinnock, executive director of the CMI, said the sponsorship of the Miss Jamaica World competition is part of the institute's thrust to create more awareness of the logistics hub concept. As a sponsor, CMI launched an essay competition on the logistics hub with a scholarship offering valued at $1M as the top prize.

Oliver, along with other contestants in the Miss Jamaica World pageant, participated in a logistics 101 course conducted by Dr Pinnock at the CMI to facilitate research.

According to the CMI, she appropriately defined logistics and a logistics hub within the context of business and the realm of academics in her submission. She showed evidence of an understanding of the concept of logistics and a logistics hub, the Institute further stated. Chief judge, Dr Ibrahim Ajagunna, director of the School of Academics at the CMI, said, "The use of comparators such as Dubai, Singapore, Rotterdam and reference to the Jones Act, further enhanced the essay. As a result, she was selected as the winner and has received the CMI Logistics Hub trophy and a scholarship to pursue a masters in logistics and supply chain management at the CMI."

Laura Butler, franchise holder of the Miss Jamaica World Competition, described the collaboration as worthwhile as it complements the organisation's celebration of beauty with a purpose.

Next wave of development

During the presentation of the award, Dr Pinnock noted that the CMI's offerings are specifically designed to prepare Jamaica's workforce for this next wave of development. "This goes far beyond teaching in a classroom, but providing opportunities for ordinary people to want to learn more about the initiative," Dr Pinnock said.

The essay competition enabled the participants to access the country's growth strategy and discuss how Jamaica's logistics hub and the creation of a logistics-centred economy enable economic and social growth. This facet of the competition was deemed practical and useful as the CMI believes that all the contestants will be ambassadors of Jamaica at some point and they should be able to contribute significantly to this subject of national and international discourse, especially the winner of the overall competition, who will represent Jamaica in the Miss World pageant in December.