The One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF), in partnership with The Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI), continues to evolve and sustain its community-enhancing initiatives and partnerships. This fall, the Virtual Campus operated through CTI is putting the power of e-learning at the forefront of its year-end educational programming with special holiday course offers available online beginning in late November. In addition, residents can look forward to the highly anticipated November 13th return of “We Farmers Market.” Both of these unique initiatives are rooted in OEF’s commitment to creating sustainable development and consistent community programming around Five Key Areas Of Focus: Education, Economy, Environment, Health, and Heritage.
In 2020, when COVID-19 emergency orders restricted gatherings and face-to-face classes, CTI quickly adapted and evolved. The school accelerated its scheduled entry into the e-learning space and launched its Virtual Campus to meet the needs of students in Eleuthera and throughout The Bahamas. This new platform, accessible via the OEF website, provided an online solution for students to continue their educational pursuits despite the pandemic.
The Virtual Campus features over two hundred on-demand, self-paced professional and personal development courses, starting at $99. Course categories include Career Development, Business Skills, Information Technology, Soft Skills, Workplace Essentials, Small Business Training for Entrepreneurs, Human Resources, Sales and Marketing, Internet Marketing, and more.
“Whether seeking to qualify for that first job, changing careers, or investing in advancing current job skills, students of all ages utilizing CTI’s Virtual Campus will surely find relevant and up-to-date courses to pursue studies on their time and at their own pace” explains Banu Devi-Nair, CTI’s Academic Dean. “In particular, our workforce readiness courses are designed to conveniently help young adults gain the skills they need to get ahead with no prerequisites required.”
CTI’s online platform can also be utilized by companies seeking to train staff in specific areas of expertise or employers wishing to provide cost-effective, comprehensive online training opportunities for their workforce. Around the world, companies have adopted the e-learning modality, which has been proven to produce greater knowledge retention among learners while resulting in increased overall value for both the employer and employee.
From “Accounting Skills for New Supervisors” to “Customer Training Management” and everything in between, CTI’s online Virtual Campus is anticipated to become an indispensable source of online education and training for our local market. Available 24/7, the school’s online platform harnesses the power of technology to fill the education and training gap for students unable to afford traditional university degrees. Simultaneously the Virtual Campus provides an alternative for students wary of engaging in face-to-face classes due to COVID-19. CTI’s entire online course catalogue can be viewed and accessed at: https://oneeleuthera.myvirtualcampus.co/
Another exciting development from OEF/CTI is the imminent return of the highly-acclaimed “We Farmers Market” at the Rock Sound Campus. This collaborative agricultural event has attracted the participation of over two dozen local farmers, food manufacturers, artisans, entrepreneurs, and craft makers from across the length and breadth of Eleuthera. Housed in both an open-air pavilion and pop-up tents spread across the grounds of CTI, this signature farmer’s market event provides a safe, socially distanced, and easily navigated experience for shoppers. Here, guests can find the freshest, farm-to-table produce and authentic Bahamian wares and craft items every 2nd and last Saturday of the month.
“Riding on the momentum of the market’s successful summer launch, the fall installment of “We Farmers Market” starts on Saturday, November 13th, and promises to deliver more of what patrons love and expect. This fall’s growing season is expected to produce a robust and hearty harvest of fresh, hand-picked vegetables, fragrant herbs, and vibrant plants for sale from CTI and our participating farmers,” cites Deon Gibson, Agricultural Manager at CTI.
With the growing list of vendors and farmers signing up to showcase and sell their goods, locals and visitors can expect to discover even more to sample, see, shop, and enjoy leading into the 2021 Holiday Season. For information on becoming a vendor, email: ctifarm@oneeleuthera.org
