Being largely comprised of small island states, the Commonwealth Caribbean faces challenges similar to those in the South Pacific and Mediterranean regions.
Most countries possess limited resources to sustain a large education and training infrastructure.
The Caribbean has a long tradition of delivering off-campus education via the facilities of the University of the West Indies. The region possesses both knowledge and a variety of skills. COL s intervention can principally be that of a facilitator, identifying opportunities to add quality and variety to the ways open and distance learning is delivered. COL will continue to demonstrate how distance education and educational media can be employed to develop capacity in local industries such as agriculture, fishing and tourism. Since its inception, COL has had a very close working relationship with the regional university, the University of the West Indies, jointly launching several initiatives and consultations, as well as exporting expertise to other regions of the Commonwealth.