Dr. Robert W. Robertson

City & Guilds has named the University College of the Cayman Islands President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Robert W. Robertson as a Fellow of the City and Guilds London Institute (FCGI).

City & Guilds is a registered charity in the United Kingdom. For over 140 years City & Guilds has worked with people, organizations and economies to help them identify and develop the skills they need to thrive. Founded in 1878 under royal patronage, City & Guilds was honoured with a Royal Charter in 1900 by Queen Victoria. The City of London Corporation and 16 Livery Companies established the Institute in response to the industrial revolution’s boom in industry and the need for consistency in the quality of training to address skills shortages.

City & Guilds understands the life changing link between skills development, social mobility, prosperity and success. This goal is accomplished by partnering with customers to deliver employer-led work-based learning programmes that build competency, and to support better prospects for people, organizations and the wider society. Flexible learning pathways that support lifelong employability are supported as people deserve the opportunity to (re)train and (re)learn again and again – gaining new skills at every stage of life, regardless of where they start.

Fellowship of the City and Guilds of London Institute is a prestigious honour, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional and personal achievements in skills development, workplace training and workforce readiness initiatives. It is the highest recognition bestowed by City & Guilds. To be considered for Fellowship, nominated candidates must exemplify excellence by embodying City & Guilds core values which are to inspire, improve, achieve and trust.

Fellowship is bestowed upon leaders and innovators who have had a significant and sustainable impact on their industry or in education. Michael Osbaldeston, Special Adviser & Skills Ambassador, City & Guilds Foundation notes that, “to date, fewer than one thousand Fellowships have been conferred worldwide, and we are delighted to have Dr. Robertson join this illustrious group as a Fellow of the City and Guilds of London Institute.”

The recognition is based on his leadership and innovations in higher education during his more than twenty-five-year international career in academia.

He has served as an educator and academic administrator in the Bahamas, Canada, the United States, Slovenia, Kazakhstan and Vietnam. In particular, the Fellowship recognizes a series of innovations in the Caribbean including the establishment of centres for distance education that promote blended and online education to expand access to tertiary education; the introduction of certified, industry recognized technical and vocational training; initiating and leading national digital literacy projects using online courses with industry certifications; recognition by CompTIA as a regional leader in the use of technology certifications; using technology to improve critical numeracy and literacy skills; promoting the use of evidence- based strategic management using surveys to identify and address national and regional skills gaps; developing and delivering programmes to provide workforce ready skills within a prison system; developing and delivering faculty and staff upskilling initiatives; promoting and delivering work-based learning including formal apprenticeships to prepare students for employment; and developing and delivering programmes and initiatives to support environmental sustainability and resilience. Many of these initiatives included City & Guilds courses, principles and certifications. 

The Fellowship also recognizes the commitment to lifelong learning. In that regard, Dr. Robertson holds graduate degrees from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom including a Doctorate in Management and Organization (Stirling University, Scotland); Master of Studies in Law (Vermont Law School); Master of Public Administration (Dalhousie University); Master of Art (Eastern Kentucky University); Post Graduate Diploma, International Management (University of London); Post Graduate Certificate, Conflict and Negotiation (Queen Margaret University); Graduate Diploma, International Development (London School of Economics and Political Science); and Bachelor of Science (East Tennessee State University). He has also completed executive development training and certification in Strategy and Innovation (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); and Negotiation and Leadership (Harvard University).

He holds an appointment as a Senior Research Fellow (2022-2025) with the Commonwealth Institute, School of Advanced Studies, University of London. Robertson served as the first President of the community college system in the Bahamas—the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (2016-2022) –and he held a Visiting Professor, Faculty of Economics position with the prestigious University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (2007-2020). He received an Excellence in Online Administration award (2011) from Pearson, he was named a Fulbright Specialist by the United States Department of State in 2016; and an International Scholar by Global Affairs Canada—Emerging Leader in the America’s (2023).

In 2024, Robertson was awarded a Principal Fellow, Higher Education Academy designation by the United Kingdom based Advance HE awarded to “highly experienced individuals whose practice involves a sustained record of effectiveness in strategic leadership of high-quality learning. The impact of a Principal Fellow is viewed as extensive.”

Dr. Robertson has published more than sixty-five peer-reviewed articles, and he is frequently invited as a speaker at professional conferences on issues such as international business, quality improvement, workforce ready skills, the future of work, education and leadership. He has recently had a paper published titled “Observations on the Application of Strategic Higher Education Innovation and Leadership in the Caribbean Region” in the Round Table-Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs published by an editorial team headquartered at King’s College, University of London. He serves on the editorial board of the Florida Political Science Association peer reviewed journal The Political Chronicle in addition to the Journal of the University College of the Cayman Islands.

Dr. Robertson is active in supporting community service initiatives through the Grand Cayman Rotary Sunrise Club where he is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Robertson notes “Higher education is in a period of transition globally. I have been actively involved in research on the future of work as a critical issue throughout the Caribbean region and the world. Based on my research and experience, I see a pressing need for the education system globally to be more responsive to the evolving demands of the workplace and society. In my view, higher education can play an expanded role using a strategic, evidenced-based approach that includes delivering short, flexible, stackable, industry recognized education and training to close the burgeoning skills gap. This prestigious recognition as a Fellow City and Guilds London Institute is truly an honour for me personally and a testament to the many dedicated and talented educators with whom I have had the pleasure of working with during my career.”