PRESS RELEASE - UWI-ROYTEC, a division of the University of West Indies, St. Augustine campus is coming to Vieux-Fort, St. Lucia.
Come September, St. Lucians and the people of the neighboring islands will be able to pursue their tertiary education here in Vieux-Fort, St. Lucia. People of St. Lucia will be able to attain UWI-ROYTEC degrees without having to leave the island.
Many new programmes which will be jointly offered by the International American University (IAU), and the University of the West Indies ROYTEC, at International American University Campus, located in Vieux-Fort.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by these two institutions will facilitate the development and delivery these programmes. The MOU was signed at the campus of the University of the West Indies (St. Augustine) on July 15, 2014. It was signed in the presence of officials of the three institutions who lauded the initiative.
The programs, which will be offered, are in: Information Systems Management, Pharmacy, Nursing, Education, Hospitality Management, and Healthcare. Other certificate programs like Pharmacy Technician, Emergency Medical Technician, Phlebotomy, and Hospitality will also be offered as part of this MOU. A premed program leading to a B.Sc. degree in Health care management, designed for high school graduates, guarantees admission to the four-year MD program offered by IAU College of Medicine.
ROYTEC is a private tertiary-level institution offering undergraduate degree programmes in business and teacher education; associate degree programmes in business and information technology; and professional diplomas and certificates in financial planning and business related specializations.
When ROYTEC was founded in 1987 by the Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (now known as RBC RBTT Bank Trinidad Limited), the institution’s primary purpose was the preparation of graduates to meet the human resource requirements of the banking and financial services sectors.
In 2006, as part of the reorganization of the internal structure of RBTT Bank Limited, the external operations of ROYTEC was transferred to UWI, St. Augustine and the institution’s name was changed to the UWI School of Business and Applied Studies Limited (trading as ROYTEC). This relationship between the University of the West Indies (UWI) and ROYTEC is a synergistic one in which the strengths of UWI serve to benefit the academic operations of ROYTEC and strengthen its leadership position in key fields where UWI has distinctive competencies. Over the past eight (8) years, this name change has also reflected the changing nature of ROYTEC, as evidenced by increased enrollment, admissions, quality standards, and graduation rates.
Commenting on this new development, the Public Relations Officer of IAUCOM, Sibi Gopakrishnan described the move as a giant step in the right direction, adding that it will open other avenues for the school to explore joint ventures with other recognized learning institutions in the region. He also added that IAU is helping change Vieux-Fort into a University Town”.
The International American University College of Medicine, which was established here in 2003 offers a curriculum in medical education based on the U.S model and is delivered by a team of expert faculty. Its program is designed to produce physicians who qualify for licensure in St. Lucia as well as the USA and Canada, among other countries.