fp Turks and Caicos

Proudly accepting their honours in cap and gown, 10 Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Villages and Spa employees were presented with Professional Masters Degree certificates from the Global University for Lifelong Learning on July 29.

In addition, General Manager Donald Dagenais was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Management from the institution.

Dagenais, a Canadian national, is an accomplished general manager with more than 30 years of experience. It is this experience and commitment to furthering the education and development of his staff that earned him this prestigious award.

The Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL) is a not-for-profit foundation registered in California and uses action learning and encourages teamwork for the purpose of personal and professional development.

The program through GULL allows employees the chance to earn their degrees in the workplace and through projects they perform to improve their work environment. Dagenais said he places a great value on training of his staff and is pleased to be able to reward people who are doing great work.

“I believe we never stop learning,” Director of Water Sports Michael Clarke said. “Although I am in a managerial position, we are dealing with staff and do not really have the time to work on ourselves and develop as managers. This gave me the opportunity to do that.”

As part of his master’s program, Clarke had to complete three large projects at Beaches, including the creation of a new Dive Masters Internship program aimed at increasing the number of local dive professionals.

Clarke said although the three-year program was extremely challenging, it helped him to improve his time management skills, juggling work, a family and his studies. “It challenges us to do more and to impart that knowledge we gained onto others,” he added.

GULL President Dr. Richard Teare thanked Sandals for providing the opportunity for employees to develop themselves both personally and professionally in and during the workplace. “You are opening doors for employees to advance within the company by building and advancing their skills and making them far more employable,” he said.

Teare explained the program offers the chance for people who did not have an educational opportunity early on in their career to receive their credentials, so important in the current work environment. The GULL program is widely accepted with virtually every Sandals resort participating, he said.

“Use the title with confidence, because it reflects your success learning at work, from work, in an extremely challenging environment.”

To date, dozens of local Beaches employees have benefited from the GULL program and its partnership with Beaches, achieving associate’s degree certificates, bachelor’s degrees as well as this group of masters degree graduates.

The program is guided by Dr. Shelly-Ann Whitely-Clarke, training and development manager at Beaches, who is known to all as the mother hen.

Master’s Degrees Graduates
Nadia Pratt-Fulford
Mark Johnson
Tanya Swann
Michael Clarke
Nichole Thomas
Raluca Petrica
Melissa Hoylet
Marsha Flemming
Joelle Raymond

Honorary Doctorate
Donald Dagenais