A cross-institutional collaboration between Antigua and Barbuda’s leading continuing education body and the regional University of the West Indies has produced a tangible showcase of local skilled craftsmanship, just in time for a major campus milestone. Students enrolled in the carpentry training program at the Harrison Centre, a branch of the Antigua and Barbuda Institute of Continuing Education (ABICE), took on the custom project to build a large new entrance sign for UWI’s Five Islands Campus. The finished marker was successfully installed ahead of the institution’s 2026 graduation ceremony, which convened on October 10.
The initiative was formally commissioned by UWI Five Islands Campus leadership, and all on-site work was carried out under the careful supervision of Glenn Richards, the experienced carpentry instructor leading ABICE’s program. Measuring large enough to catch the eye of all visitors to the campus, the bold blue sign now anchors the grounds as a core part of the graduation event’s infrastructure, standing as a public demonstration of what local training and inter-institutional cooperation can achieve.
In an official statement marking the project’s completion, UWI Five Islands emphasized that the collaboration brought together formal institutional partnership and emerging local talent from start to finish. Campus representatives extended formal congratulations to both instructor Richards and the participating students, praising the finished sign for its solid functionality and high-quality construction. Officials also publicly thanked the Harrison Centre for highlighting the skill and capability of Antiguan and Barbudan craftspeople, countering any narrative that skilled trades work must be sourced from outside the local community.
Beyond the immediate utility of the new sign, the project shines a spotlight on the hands-on, practical skill development that ABICE’s carpentry program prioritizes for its enrollees. It also underscores the often underrecognized role that technical and vocational education and training (TVET) plays in driving sustained national development, by equipping young people with trade skills that can be immediately deployed for community and institutional projects across Antigua and Barbuda. For the Five Islands Campus, the sign will remain a permanent installation long after the 2026 graduation wraps up, serving as an enduring reminder of the successful partnership between the two education providers and the meaningful contribution emerging tradespeople have made to the campus community.