A cohort of the revamped Executive Diploma in Social Security Management, conducted by the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management (SCHSBM) was recently hosted in Barbados for a 5 day face to face session on “Management of Social Security Funds”. Previous modules have thus far been conducted online, with participants from islands including St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica and Turks and Caicos.
Facilitator for the Barbados session, TimothyHodge was pleased that after a 10 year hiatus, the programme could still command interest and registration from Social Security boards across the region. As a director of the Anguilla Social Security Board (ASSB), Hodge noted that there is a need for the specified training within the Caribbean, especially as it relates to governance issues and statistics.
Terrance Gumbs, a Senior Accounts Clerk with the ASSB stated that the funds management module was quite enlightening, given that while he was familiar with the topic of general fund management, the facilitator dug deeper into the material at hand and necessity of the practice within a social security context. Senior Officer at the St. Kitts Social Security Board- Kimmoy Brathwaite in turn said that with the overall programme, she now appreciates that all those who contribute to a social security fund are trustees, and therefore have a responsibility in ensuring its maintenance and management.
The programme, which was re-introduced by Programme Director Dr. Ann A. Wallace will continue online again before conducting two more sessions in Barbados next year, with an expected completion date in June 2019.