Schools Project
The third, and largest project is the Schools Project – which provides internet services to all one hundred and seven (107) educational institutions via interior and exterior high-speed wireless connections, with speeds of up to 20 Mbps. This contract was signed in 2011 with telecommunications provider Cable and Wireless, and the project was commissioned in 2012. The project is expected to come to a close in 2017 and will be retendered. The cost of this project is Five Million, Two Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Six Hundred and Twenty-Three Dollars ($5,230,623.00) with a duration of five (5) years. There is also a content filtering system established for this project to prevent access to undesirable websites. In an effort to improve the internet connection being offered at the SVGCC Glen Campus noting the large student population, the NTRC, negotiated with Cable and Wireless and a fiber network was installed at the college with speeds exceeding 100 Mbps.
SMART Project
The seventh and last project that is currently being undertaken by the NTRC is the SMART Project. This project will facilitate the necessary infrastructure and platforms at SVGCC to enable it to offer its existing and new courses online and in real time. Another component of this project is that three hundred and forty (340) households will benefit from subsidized internet access at a price of ten dollars ($10) per month for a maximum of two (2) years. Additionally, a state-of-the-art computer lab containing thirty-five (35) high powered computers, including twenty (20) Apple Mac computers, were handed over to the Division of Technical Education, SVGCC. This project will be executed at a total of One Million, Six Hundred and Ninety-Eight Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety-Four Dollars ($1,698,994.00) and is being implemented by LIME. This project was commissioned on September 25, 2014.
As of October 20, 2015, the three hundred and forty (340) quota for the subsidized internet service was reached. However, the NTRC is still accepting applications for the service because in the following two years, the service will be provided to a new batch of three hundred and forty (340) households. The NTRC will try and source some funds in 2017 to increase the number of households benefiting from this initiative.
The programs at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College which include the Associate Degree in Cyber Security and an Associate Degree in Software Development are in operation now and the programs are based at the Division of Arts and General Science in Villa. The software development program was upgraded in 2016 from a certificate program to an associate degree program.