BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – On Wednesday 3 June, officials of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC®) joined Deputy Governor Mr David D. Archer, Jr. and officials from the Government of the Virgin Islands for the launch of the Excellence in Customer Service CXC® programme. The initiative was developed for officers across the Virgin Islands Public Service, in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago-based company, Customer 1st Caribbean Ltd.
The Excellence in Customer Service CXC® programme, which was initially conceptualised in 2023, has been heralded as a wise investment in the people of the Virgin Islands and proof of concept of a workable training and empowerment initiative that can be replicated in other public sector bureaucracies across the Caribbean. A framework was first developed by the CXC® Research and Educational Development Division and then advanced between the CXC® Professional Learning Institute and the Business Development Office with the leadership of the Virgin Islands Public Service Learning Institute (VIPSLI), over two years after.
The programme is designed to bring about multi-level training for transformation in service excellence and is a formidable partnership between VIPSLI, CXC® as a globally-recognised awarding body, and training partners such as Customer 1st Caribbean Ltd. The central objective of the programme is developing the capacity of public service officers from front line to leadership.
The recently completed course is one in a series within the Excellence in Customer Service programme, built around real Virgin Islands examples and the genuine challenges faced by the Virgin Islands Public Service. It focused on values, ethics, professionalism, communications, service recovery, operational excellence and accountability. The VIPSLI reported participants had begun updating procedures and piloting better ways of working across the various public service departments, before the programme concluded.
Dr Eduardo Ali, Pro-Registrar and Deputy CEO of CXC® expanded on the significance of the programme, during the launch and awards ceremony held at the Virgin Islands Public Service Learning Institute. “The CXC® Excellence in Customer Service programme was designed to establish measures and systems for greater efficiency and excellence in public service but also to support each individual through their journey to become better citizens and transformation agents within the public service. This landmark initiative has demonstrated the technical support that CXC® is primed and ready to offer to regional governments and organisations in their educational and systems transformations efforts.”
Dr Connie E. George, Director of the Virgin Islands Public Service Learning Institute, shared with attendees that the VIPSLI turned to CXC® when they identified the need for formalised professional training, to satisfy the mandate of building a world-class public service. “We chose CXC® to assist us with this process because it is the Caribbean’s foremost educational, credential authority. When CXC® puts its name on a programme, the programme carries the weight of regional credentialling, academic rigor and the institutional integrity that The Virgin Islands could not provide locally.” The completion of the programme’s first course cohort is not the end of the journey for the VIPSLI. Participants will be trained to deliver the curriculum to further cohorts and the intention is to roll out the programme to the entire public service. “We want excellence in customer service to be not just an initiative but a standard part of the professional development journey of every public officer in The Virgin Islands” Dr George declared.
At the award ceremony and launch, 14 public service officers received their certificates for successful completion of the programme.
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