Two years ago I received an email from a student who blasted CXC for the lack of vital information on our website and their inability to find answers to critical questions. This email pulled no punches and told us in no uncertain terms that we were far behind the technological expectations of this generation.

Last night I checked the CXC Facebook site and someone called Tommy Gooden had discovered that the new website was actually accessible before today and posted the following comment:

“CXC the website is PERFECT!  You heard me, PERFECT! Its smooth interface, clean lines and smooth faster loading…it’s just perfect.  I am pleased CXC!  Keep up the good work and continue to reflect us in a positive educated light.  WOW!  I am so pleased that I feel like crying.  I am filled with pride!”

When I read this comment, I felt like crying!  Because nothing matters more than the acclaim of the persons we serve.  The Caribbean public – young as well as mature learners – must come to feel a sense of pride in CXC; they must maintain a sense of confidence in CXC; they must be secure in the knowledge that CXC can provide the certification that can be an undisputed passport to any future and a guarantee of one’s ability to be globally competitive and competent.

This third generation website took some time in coming but we are hopeful that others will react as Mr. Gooden did.  The site however is much more than good looks and fast loads – it represents a major leap forward in our drive to make CXC an IT-intelligent organization.  By this I mean an organization that utilizes and leverages information and computer technology to work more efficiently, deliver better and faster service to its clientele and provides the means to its clientele to self-fulfil their needs.

Our project manager on this initiative, Mrs Megan Vitoria will walk us through its features but it is important to indicate that the new website goes beyond brochureware to full interactivity – in other words, it is not just somewhere you go to get information; it will be (we hope) the primary source that you will turn to access services from CXC.  The services are not restricted to CXC – they include links to useful websites such as Ministries of Education across the region, universities abroad with whom we have articulation agreements and other sites which are good sources of information and advice.

This is why every effort has been made to create dynamic content – videos, slideshows, other multimedia content are available and will become even more engaging as time goes on.  Today’s web user is a digital native with expectations of multisensory, multimodal interactions.

Ladies and gentlemen, this website will be in a permanent state of evolution as we intend to continually improve, upgrade and enhance its features.  As you post questions, our database of FAQs will grow and will eventually be able to provide answers on everything you ever wanted to ask about CXC. Right now you can download timetables and calendars.  Eventually we expect that candidates will be able to log on and access their results; apply for replacement certificates;  follow interactive distance instruction to better prepare for every exam that we offer.

The look and feel of the site heralds the new substantive CXC – more service oriented, more committed to maintaining and raising standards while improving performance, more receptive and responsive to the needs of the Caribbean public that we serve.  Increasingly you will see a move beyond just certification for secondary students – we are the Caribbean EXAMINATIONS Council and our mandate therefore requires that we provide certification across the full demographic spectrum of the region.  CXC certification must take you from wherever you are to wherever you want to go.

In closing i must pay specific tribute to the team at CXC who worked unceasingly to make this new website a reality and special appreciation must be expressed to Megan Vitoria for her tenacity, commitment and passion to this challenge. Colleagues with the pride must come the praise.  Our developers Plexus M2 – particularly Steve Pickett – must be commended for their creativity and technical wizardry and for their patience through an interminable process of reworking elements of the site until we felt that we had it right.

This new website is the central architecture for our presence in cyberspace and it is tightly integrated with a facebook presence, a twitter presence and a u-tube channel.  The synergy of these three channels of communication and service will enable us to extend the reach of CXC and market our examinations and services in ways that we never thought possible and at virtually no cost to the organization.  Remember the internet is global so any effective presence there is an excursion into the unlimited world of competitive possibility.  Our dream is to bring CXC to the second and third generation Caribbean in the Diaspora and to offer Caribbean centric certification in knowledge and skill domains in which the Caribbean has a distinct global niche.  With the launch of this new tool, we are starting this journey