The Bermuda College are hosting representatives from a number of Caribbean colleges and universities for a three-day conference.

The Association of Caribbean Tertiary Institutions (ACTI) conference officially launched this week, with the theme of “Repositioning Tertiary Education: Meeting the Needs of Knowledge Economy”.

Bermuda College president Dr Duranda Green, who was elected second vice-president of the regional conference, said: “Many of our peer institutions are facing the same economic challenges with budget cuts, and with population trends indicating that we will, of necessity, have to reposition how we view and provide tertiary education.

“I look forward to working with my Caribbean colleagues in this new capacity and our partnering with and learning from one another.”

Leah Scott, the Junior Minister for Education, emphasised in her keynote address the importance of ensuring that teachers are equipped with 21st century knowledge and skills, and be able to use them in the classroom.

“This is not a matter of teaching either academic or 21st century knowledge and skills in isolation,” she said. “It’s about fusing the two so that our children meet the demands of a global economy and are able to engage in good citizenship, and participate fully in a vibrant and civil society.”

A total of 25 delegates are taking part in the conference, including representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Maarten, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands and the US Virgin Islands.