CUT, Cipriani College Launch Partnership to strengthen teacher leadership training, research

CASTRIES, St. Lucia--Caribbean educators and trade union leaders will benefit from reduced tuition costs, accredited leadership training and expanded regional research under a new multi-year partnership between the Caribbean Union of Teachers, CUT, and the Cipriani College of Labour and Co-operative Studies, CCLCS.

The partnership is built on three key pillars:

• A 25 per cent tuition discount for CUT members pursuing standard programs at Cipriani College.

• The establishment of the CUT-Cipriani Leadership Academy, which will provide regional training and certification for current and emerging education and labour leaders.

• Joint evidence-based research and policy initiatives addressing major issues affecting education, educators and school systems across the Caribbean.

The framework was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding during CUT’s 2026 Executive Meeting, held from July 13 to 15 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The meeting was hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association.

Under the agreement, CUT and Cipriani College will jointly develop and deliver accredited training programs tailored to teachers, union executives, shop stewards and educational leaders throughout CUT’s member territories, which extend from Bermuda to Suriname.

The partnership will focus on industrial relations, executive leadership, trade union governance, research and policy advocacy. It is intended to strengthen the capacity of educators and their representative organisations to respond to changing labour conditions, technological developments and structural challenges within regional education systems.

CUT represents more than 26 teachers’ unions across the English-, French- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean. By combining CUT’s regional advocacy network with Cipriani College’s experience in labour education, labour rights and co-operative development, both organisations aim to strengthen the participation of educators in national and regional policy development.

The Executive Meeting also included a review of CUT’s work, discussions on matters affecting education and the teaching profession, and strategic decisions intended to strengthen the organisation’s regional advocacy and leadership.

Another major outcome was the election of Fiona Charles, President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers’ Union, as CUT’s First Vice President. Charles brings extensive experience in education advocacy and trade union leadership to the regional organisation.

CUT said the agreement comes at an important period for Caribbean education, as school systems respond to technological change, evolving labour conditions and other structural developments.

The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to empowering educators, strengthening teachers’ unions, improving collaboration among member organisations and supporting quality education and better working conditions for teachers across the region.

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