Overview
INFOSERV Institute of Technology is committed to the task of providing alternate pathways for personal development and institutional strengthening through education and training. The primary focus is on the delivery of professional and tertiary-level training and education in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and related disciplines.
At its inception in 1992, INFOSERV transferred skills in the areas of office productivity tools, computer repairs and programming, primarily to adults in certificate programmes. In response to student demand, a one-year diploma in computer technology and an associate degree were added. The institute sought and obtained official registration as a tertiary institution with the University Council of Jamaica, the body responsible for the accreditation of tertiary institutions in Jamaica.
The operating environment in Jamaica is one in which less than twenty-five percent of students leave the secondary school system with qualifications that satisfy the traditional matriculation requirements for ICT disciplines at Jamaica's three degree-granting universities. In addition, the universities currently service less than thirty percent of qualified individuals with an active interest in pursuing tertiary & professional-level studies. At the same time, the imperatives of globalisation have placed a premium on higher education. Private tertiary institutions like INFOSERV Institute of Technology have sought to address the supply-demand imbalance by providing quality higher education.
INFOSERV has made significant investments in developing systems to support student assessment and certification. To this end, it has successfully gained Delegated Authority for offering a range of high stakes locally and internationally accredited examinations on behalf of organizations such as:
NCTVET, NVQ-J assessments
Certified Internet Webmaster exams
All Microsoft Certifications
Virtually all ICT vendor exams
The Education Testing Service's CLEP and DANTES exams
Project Management Institute's PMP exams
The programme has been working well and students have been receiving certification that is readily recognised internationally. However, pursuit of this strategy requires active partnership and collaboration with a wide cross-section of third party institutions and organizations. It is in this context that the business linkage with the University of Technology is being put in place. As the leading Jamaican university with a technology orientation, the UTECH linkage broadens the scope and relevance of the modules that can be offered under the certification-by-external-examination scheme. In addition, it adds marketing clout and programme acceptance in Jamaica.
INFOSERV Institute of Technology services
- INFOSERV Institute plays a leading role in the delivery of training in Information Technology to adults. It operates from headquarters in New Kingston and also deploys notebook computers which function as a mobile lab.
- INFOSERV Institute of Technology is a Caribbean Institute of Technology centre in partnership with the Government of Jamaica for the training of Computer Programmers. This special programme and facility prepare batches of 48 candidates per 10-month period in programming that is essentially web-technology focussed.
- The Institute plays an ongoing role in the institutional strengthening of corporations - primarily in the area of ICT. Corporate clients include Telecommunications of Jamaica, Colgate Palmolive, Victoria Mutual Building Society, National Commercial Bank, Zenith Insurance Brokers, Television Jamaica, CVM TV, the Jamaica Observer and The Gleaner Company. It conducts training on-site and in its own facilities and customises programmes to address specific customer needs. Under a unique partnering relationship with the College of Insurance and Professional Studies (a registered tertiary institution), INFOSERV Institute of Technology infuses ICT studies in the curriculum that is offered to the insurance sector.
- INFOSERV Institute of Technology has conducted extensive training for the public sector including the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), the Department of Correctional Services, HEART Trust/NTA, Metropolitan Parks and Markets (MPM), Office of the Prime Minister, Jamaica Trade and Invest (JTI), the Metrication Board and the Civil Aviation Authority. The institute was one of three contractors on the Ministry of Education's Internet teacher training exercise. The institute has also been successful in its bid for an IDB-sponsored contract.
- INFOSERV caters to individuals wishing to develop specialist skills, for example, in the use of applications/productivity tools; computer repairs and trouble shooting; networking; electronic project management; electronic accounting, web technologies and, in general, the use of appropriate technology in the quest for international competitiveness.
- INFOSERV Institute of Technology is the CLEP/DANTES National Open Test Centre - Jamaica and is a test centre for the Institute for the Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP), Cambridge International Examinations, Project Management Institute and is the centre for Certified Business Professional.
- In the education sector, INFOSERV played a pioneering role in offering computer training in Jamaican schools by establishing turn-key computer studies facilities, incorporating equipment and teachers, in some of the island's most prestigious teaching institutions.
INFOSERV Institute of Technology continued its involvement at the secondary school level through its highly successful management and implementation of the GCE Computer Studies programme at Campion College. - With respect to community involvement, INFOSERV Institute of Technology accepted the request of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD - Netherlands) and served as a joint training partner for Jamaica with the Jamaica Computer Society Education Foundation. Under this programme, a number of community-based projects are provided with ICT-related institutional strengthening and life-long skills development. INFOSERV conceptualised and developed the UNTIED PROJECT - United National Technology Initiative Enabling the Disabled. The project has now been transferred formally to the direction and control of the UNTIED NGO. INFOSERV Institute of Technology has committed to hosting an UNTIED resource centre and to play an active role in facilitating the work of the UNTIED NGO.
- In response to the woeful deficiencies in people skills in organizations and among individuals, INFOSERV Institute of Technology has established the PeopleSmith Consortium to address the issue through assessment and training initiatives. The group has the exclusive Caribbean rights to the marketing of Extended DISC technology-driven solutions for managing people, teams and organizations. These solutions support talent management, through training and consulting that is conducted in corporate and governmental entities in the region.
INFOSERV Institute of Technology is a registered tertiary institution with the University Council of Jamaica.
INFOSERV Institute of Technology is National Open Test Centre - Jamaica for CLEP and DANTES.
The INFOSERV GROUP celebrates over 28 years of providing valuable information and quality services.
