GUERNSEY’S first MBA graduates have passed with unprecedented success rates. Of the 11 who completed the course run by the University of Southampton, eight earned a distinction and three achieved merit.

‘We are proud of all our graduates, but the results achieved by the Guernsey group were something special,’ said Dr Charlie Wilkinson, MBA programme director.

‘One of the great benefits of a course like the MBA is the opportunity for busy managers to learn from each other and the method of delivering the course, fully taught, on-island suits perfectly.

‘This year more than 80 international managers will successfully graduate from the course and the Guernsey students are among the top performers.’

The two-year MBA programme was introduced to the island by the Training Agency in 2003.

‘The Southampton MBA is recognised as a world-class qualification,’ said agency chief executive Professor Richard Conder.

‘This is the type of qualification that will bring benefits across all sectors of the island’s economy and is essential to ensure the ongoing up skilling of the workforce.’

The GTA offers postgraduate courses in other subjects including human resources, corporate governance and intellectual property.

Prof. Conder said the results showed that the in-island format was working and gave islanders an opportunity to study without having to leave Guernsey.

Credit Suisse Trust director Trevor Kelham, who achieved a distinction, said studying for the degree had been challenging but was ultimately an immensely rewarding experience.

‘To be able to access such a high-quality, practical course without leaving the island is a credit to the Guernsey Training Agency,’ he said.

‘It has allowed me to study for a world-renowned qualification while in full-time work.’