The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica W.I. Monday, November 27, 2023—The University of the West Indies (The UWI), one of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU’s) 14 global Academic Training Centres (ATCs), has opened registration for its first course offering under the ITU’s ATC programme. This course, Design and Development of Smart Cities, provides an overview of the essential aspects of smart city development. 

Smart sustainable cities have emerged as a possible solution to the rapid growth of urbanization and the subsequent increase in resource consumption. The ITU describes a smart sustainable city as “an innovative city that uses information and communication technologies and other means to improve quality of life, efficiency of urban operation and services, and competitiveness, while ensuring that it meets the needs of present and future generations with respect to economic, social, environmental as well as cultural aspects.”  

This introductory level course should be of particular interest to intermediate and senior personnel in Government offices, regulatory authorities, and public and private entities responsible for proposing and installing solutions for smart cities. Members of academia and others in related research fields will also benefit.

The 8-day course runs from December 4 to 11, 2023 and is currently open for online registration via https://academy.itu.int/user/register. Registration closes on November 30, 2023. For further details please contact Dr Louis-Ray Harris at [email protected] or visit the ITU Academy’s course catalogue page.

As a recognised ATC, The UWI through its Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management), Mona Faculty of Science and Technology, and St. Augustine Engineering Institute offers ITU-certified non-degree training courses to industries. The implementation of this timely One-UWI initiative is being coordinated by The Office of Global Affairs. Pro Vice-Chancellor Global Affairs Ms Sandrea Maynard commented “as the region grapples with the very real digital divide, we are extremely proud that the ITU has seen the value of partnering with The UWI to address capacity and upskilling needs in the region. In the context of the University’s Revenue Revolution, this initiative provides a unique opportunity to introduce The UWI brand to a global market and act as an entry-point to our related programmes on all our campuses.”

Individuals and companies availing themselves of these courses receive a joint ITU/UWI certification, further increasing the global profile of The UWI in its partnership with the global regulator in the field of telecommunications and ICTs.