THE Guernsey Training Agency has attracted global interest and endorsement. And approval of a policy letter in the States has helped the agency further to enhance its services.

Chief executive Professor Richard Conder said that the agency was a unique organisation within Europe, and possibly the world.

It procured and facilitated a wide range of professional financial and non-financial courses, ranging from one-day seminars to postgraduate degrees.

‘The wonderful novelty of the agency model is that we can bring onto the island whatever training is necessary at a tiny fraction of the cost of running a large higher education or training institution.’

He said that the size of a small knowledge-based offshore economy like Guernsey did not justify creating a university.

As the agency did not employ teaching staff, Prof. Conder said that it could cherry-pick the best courses from the best institutions.

‘I’m enthusiastic and passionate about such a clever idea for the sort of economy we have. The Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and International Monetary Fund have been talking about the model of the agency, which the IMF describes as one of the jewels in the crown of Guernsey’s finance sector.’

The States decision secured recognition of the agency as part of the Bailiwick’s education and training infrastructure. The States agreed to continue the annual grant from next year for a comprehensive training policy for the island to be determined by the Education and Commerce and Employment Departments and for the agency to review its work every three years.

It also endorsed the working relationship between the agency and the Guernsey College of Further Education’s Business School.

Prof. Conder said both organisations agreed that they should remain separate but complementary.

The States funding is not for any particular amount or duration, but the decision put the matter on the new Commerce and Employment Department’s agenda.

‘Hopefully it will enable the agency to plan forward and make longer-term commitments with universities than it has been able to in the past.’

The agency has links with seven universities in England, including Plymouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, City and Bournemouth – where Prof. Conder was head of the finance and law school and is still a professor.

This enables the 30,000-strong workforce to access postgraduate degrees without leaving the island. Prof. Conder said this was a big saving for employers in their staff not being absent from work.

The agency has four advisory groups for finance, commerce, IT and e-commerce and retail, with representatives from each sector to ensure that its training strategy provides comprehensive coverage.

‘The only way we can stay at the leading edge is to have a better-skilled and customer-responsive workforce than our competitors,’ said Prof. Conder.