Skills (People & Talent)

Education

Home to the University of the Virgin Islands

With over 330 graduates annually, the University of the Virgin Islands is the only accredited Historically Black College or University in the Caribbean region. Graduates are from five schools and colleges: Business Administration, Education, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Nursing, and Science & Mathematics.

Highly skilled and reliable talent

With a population of 112,800, the U.S. Virgin Islands is known for its available, trainable, and primarily English-speaking workforce. Due to the Territory’s history of industrial and services experience, Virgin Islanders have expertise in a wide array of sectors, including:

Financial and professional services

Call centers and back-office operations

Knowledge-based and e-commerce activities

Shipping and port activities

Marine

Tourism and hotel development

Real estate development

Energy and renewables

Rum distilling

Advanced Manufacturing

Training programs tailored to your needs

Through the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Labor’s One Stop Centers, employers will find multiple resources for securing employees, including tax credit and labor market information, employment recruitment, and pre-screening of qualified resumes.

Employee recruitment and screening

Receiving and forwarding applicant resumes

Pre-screening and referral of qualified job seekers

Tax credit information

Labor market information

Energy and renewables

Rum distilling

The One Stop Centers also offers training in basic skills (including GED preparation), occupational skills, combined workplace and classroom, entrepreneurial, and customized programs.

Basic skills training (including GED preparation)

Occupational skills training

On-the-job training

Customized training

Combined workplace and classroom training

Skills upgrading and retraining

Entrepreneurial training

Readiness training

Training Programs

The One Stop Centers also offer training programs for workforce applicants, including:

Basic skills training (including GED preparation)

Occupational skills training

On-the-job training

Customized training

Combined workplace and classroom training

Skills upgrading and retraining

Entrepreneurial training

Readiness training

Job Growth

The University of Virgin Islands Center for Excellence in Leadership and Learning (CELL) was established to meet the workforce and professional development training needs critical to the economic prosperity of the Virgin Islands and surrounding Caribbean islands. CELL provides quality training opportunities to contribute to organizational and individual achievement.

CELL has partnered with the American Management Association to provide you with skills that translate into productivity and career growth. In this partnership, applicants can earn widely recognized credentials and Continuing Education Units.

These classes are offered either online or in-person, which gives professionals flexibility to choose the option best for them. Programs include courses in accounting & finance, hemp farming, coaching & counseling, computer applications, creative careers, entrepreneurship, graphic design, hospitality & service, IT services, law & legal, medical & healthcare, skilled trades, social media, and teaching & education.

Agribusiness


The Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) conducts basic and applied research to meet the needs of the local agricultural community in increasing production, improving efficiency, developing new enterprises, preserving and propagating germplasm unique to the Virgin Islands, and protecting the natural resource base.

AES scientists are actively involved in 32 projects in agronomy, animal science, aquaculture, biotechnology, agroforestry, & horticulture

Coastal and Ocean Resources

The Center for Marine and Environmental Studies (CMES) addresses environmental problems unique to tropical island communities.

It advances knowledge and learning in coastal marine systems through research, education, and outreach programs. Based in the McLean Marine Science Center in St.Thomas, CMES collaborates with local organizations, other universities, and government agencies to assess and monitor marine ecosystems and identify methods of conserving fisheries and marine and coastal areas supporting sustainable natural resource management.

CMES has an active applied research program with projects that focus on fisheries management, coastal resources conservation, and the development of the Virgin Islands Marine Parks Management Plan.

The Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) conducts research throughout the U. S. Virgin Islands.

WRRI is one of the 54 water resources research institutes established at land-grant universities throughout the United States and its territories.

Established in 1973, WRRI conducts research on water resources and related areas, assists in the training of students and water resources professionals, and provides information exchange around water resources locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.

WRRI's meteorological observatory provides real-time weather data that can be accessed through the Internet, and a water quality laboratory on the UVI St.Thomas campus serves as a resource for the Virgin Islands community.

Life Sciences

Will provide opportunities for a concerted focus on these complex variables and the unique intersections of island history, context, culture, demographics, socioeconomic status, and other factors that might contribute to health disparities within the islands.
The CERC will also increase the capacity of faculty and community representatives to conduct disparity research relating to the major health risks faced by Virgin Islanders.

will seek to provide evidence to support this holistic approach to healing and establish mechanisms for community outreach. Over time, the Center will expand its exploratory efforts to include investigations of other disease states or ailments commonly affecting US Virgin Islanders.
As scientific evidence about alternative botanical medicines is available through UVI-CCAM research, local healthcare providers can make more informed decisions when communicating alternative treatment regimens and options to patients.

Professional Services

The Center for Excellence in Leadership and Learning (CELL) was established to meet the workforce and professional development training needs critical to the economic prosperity of the Virgin Islands and surrounding Caribbean islands.
CELL provides quality training opportunities designed to contribute to organizational and individual achievement. Through collaborative partnerships, the UVICELL Center catalyzes by providing training and ongoing educational opportunities using responsive approaches to reach learners in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the surrounding Caribbean.

Renewable Energy

The Caribbean Green Technology Center (CGTC) is an initiative housed in the College of Science and Mathematics at the University of the Virgin Islands.
The facility opened in response to the growing need for the advancement and development of alternative and renewable energy technology in the Virgin Islands and the Eastern Caribbean territory by extension. The organization aims to become the driving force in promoting the urgent transition towards using sustainable renewable energy by fostering research, education, and workforce development.

Technology

technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education excellence, a venue for public science outreach activities, and a fundamental astrophysics and geophysics research station. The Etelman Observatory is proud to be the only research-grade optical telescope in the Caribbean and the most powerful optical telescope ever available in the Caribbean region for use by the general public.

Research and Technology Park (RTPark) is a specialist economic development program designed to bring investment to the United States Virgin Islands by managing an incentive program and offering other advisory and technical services. It is a partnership between the private sector, the government of the US Virgin Islands, and the University of the Virgin Islands.  The goal of RTPark is to successfully establish the U.S. Virgin Islands as a premier business destination for firms in knowledge and technology-intensive sectors or knowledge-based businesses.  

 

two women and one man on computer screen
Technology

The University of the Virgin Islands, in collaboration with the University of the West Indies and Inter-American University, launched the Global Institute for Leadership and Management Development. Designed for students and workers in any area of the following disciplines: business, education, liberal arts, social science, nursing, science, mathematics, psychology, social sciences, tourism and hospitality, social work, public administration, communication, etc., the BUS 400 and BUS 540 courses are designed to provide training and education from a multi-discipline perspective to equip current and future leaders and managers anywhere in the world who are passionate about making a difference.

How the Economic Development Authority
Can Help You

Unlock new horizons within the US Virgin Islands with the business potential our territory offers with the help of the USVI Economic Development Authority.
With tailored tax programs, incentives, financing options and more.

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