The Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI) concludes 2025 with unprecedented achievements in member empowerment and sectoral development, positioning the services industry as the nation’s economic cornerstone. Under President Dianne Joseph’s leadership, the coalition has surpassed strategic objectives while establishing new paradigms for organizational support and national advocacy.
Throughout the year, TTCSI’s capacity-building initiatives, significantly enhanced by Unit Trust Corporation support, transcended conventional training to become instruments of economic inclusion. The integration of diverse organizations including the Blind Welfare Association, Montserrat Cocoa Farmers Co-operative, and Anime Caribe Organisation into specialized development programs demonstrates the sector’s universal applicability. This foundational work sets the stage for aggressive 2026 expansion targeting niche sectors and service export readiness.
TTCSI’s strategic media engagement transformed public education through expert knowledge sharing across critical disciplines. Members delivered essential insights on health and safety protocols, human resources management, architectural technicalities, and facility management priorities. The coalition’s educational campaign clarified industry distinctions such as pest management versus pest control while highlighting the creative sector’s economic significance.
International recognition underscored TTCSI’s global impact as member organization TTIFMA received the Small Chapter of the Year award from its international parent body, with President Edward Kacal earning the Distinguished Member Award. These accolades validate Trinidad and Tobago’s service professionals as world-class competitors when provided with adequate growth platforms.
The coalition’s geographic expansion to Tobago proved particularly successful, with Ruazz Fine Dining Restaurant exemplifying how tailored advocacy strengthens SME competitiveness. Tobago’s service sector engagement revealed that empowering small and medium enterprises represents the most direct pathway to national economic advancement.
TTCSI identifies service exports as a fundamental solution to foreign exchange challenges, emphasizing that exported services translate national competence into retained high-value income. The coalition aligns with the Ministry of Trade, Investment, and Tourism’s vision to accelerate SME internationalization through enhanced brand awareness, product differentiation, and employment scaling.
Strategic partnerships remained central to 2025 operations, with TTCSI emphasizing governance best practices requiring aligned cultures, norms, and value systems. The coalition maintains that transparency, integrity, and open communication constitute non-negotiable components of successful alliances.
Looking toward 2026—designated as the Year of the Service Professional—TTCSI will expand membership categories to include individual professionals alongside corporate entities. This evolution acknowledges that service excellence represents the critical differentiator in every successful transaction, where poor service delivery frequently outweighs product quality in customer retention.
The coalition commits to making service standards a national priority through global and local partnerships focused on total excellence. Despite governmental fiscal constraints surrounding the $59 billion 2026 budget, TTCSI stands ready to fuel sustainable, ethical, and professional growth engines that ultimately contribute to nation-building.