LONDON, April 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Since 2019, Dominican students have been gaining work experience and giving back to the country through the Dominica State College's Service Learning Programme. The programme is a prerequisite for undergraduates, which encourages students to complete two hundred service-learning hours. In collaboration with local business owners, the programme equips students with real-world skills and helps them gain professional skills.
Education remains a top priority for the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica, with millions funnelled into the sector from the island's Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme. Around $26 million has been utilised from the Programme to support Dominican youth studying abroad in countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. After Hurricane Maria, revenue generated from CBI helped repair 15 schools that were damaged, according to a 2019 PricewaterhouseCoopers report.
CBI funds also aided Dominica's Education Mentorship Programme, where education mentors are placed within schools to tutor students who could not otherwise afford or access extra attention after school. "Overall, nearly 4,000 people participated in these internship programmes since 2013 [to 2019] and over 200 people have graduated and entered into permanent jobs as a result," the report stated.
"Individuals on these schemes have worked across a number of sectors of the economy, including both the public and private sectors, and have helped to develop both local communities as well as mentoring future generations of workers. Expenditure for this programme continues to grow."
Following the destructive hurricane, CBI became a vital tool for Dominica's speedy recovery and in its quest to becoming "the world's first climate-resilient nation." Furthermore, PM Skerrit told the Financial Times about several projects that came to fruition on the island thanks to the CBI Programme, including waiving tuition fees, subsidising textbooks and school uniforms for Dominican students.
Dominica's CBI Programme enables wealthy investors and their families to obtain the island's citizenship once making an economic contribution. The Programme has been ranked the world's best for offering second citizenship for the last four consecutive years by the CBI Index – an annual independent study conducted by the Financial Times' Professional Wealth Management magazine.
There are two routes available under the Programme: either a non-refundable investment into the government fund or buying into a pre-approved real estate option. Once individuals undergo the necessary security checks, they gain access to visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to over 140 destinations, alternative business prospects and the chance to pass down their Dominican citizenship for generations to come. Citizens can also take advantage of all the country's facilities, such as high quality healthcare, education, safety and security for life.
