UTech Annual Report 2018-19

Accredited by the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 University of Technology, Jamaica 98 Division of Human Resource and Administration Cont’d. the University ranging from ten years to thirty five years. Special awards were also given to staff who had distinguished themselves in the areas of Research, Teaching, and in the Administrative, Ancillary and Technical categories. The Posthumous Award was presented to the families of two employees who passed away earlier in 2018. POLICIES AND ORDINANCES At the University Council meeting held on September 17, 2018, two policies were approved for implementation. They are: Compensation and Benefits Policy and the Private Practice Policy. Other policies that were under review during the period include: Recruitment Policy and Records Management Policy. It is expected that these policies will be approved in the next period. INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS Throughout the review period the industrial relations climate at the University was relatively calm. Negotiations were completed for the four bargaining units for the period 2017-2019. Implementation on the agreed items also commenced. ENVIRONMENTAL HEATH During the reporting period, five (5) critical environmental parameters were consistently monitored on all campuses of the university. These include: Food safety & drinking water quality; pest infestation management; solid waste monitoring and management; environmental awareness and sensitization; swimming pool health and sanitation. Of the five environmental health parameters, food safety and water quality achieved and maintained high compliance. MEDICAL CENTRE The Medical Centre continues to provide quality health care to the University Community. The team of health care professionals comprises two (2) fulltime doctors and four (4) fulltime registered nurses as well as sessional /part-time doctors and nurses on the morning and evening shifts. Additionally, a Claims Assistant works alongside the team to manage the health insurance claims and an Administrative Support works as an assistant to the Health Services Manager. Figure 1 Figure 1 compares the monthly changes in the Mr. Kedrian James (right), Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering and Computing accepts the President’s Award for Instructional Excellence from Prof. Stephen Vasciannie. Mr. James has demonstrated excellence in his use of research to support instructional improvement and innovation in the teaching of computer science. His involvement in the wider community through writing, mentoring of students and their participation in competitions locally and overseas, have also been noteworthy.