School of Business and Digital Technologies

The School of Business and Digital Technologies provides access to a world-class and work-relevant education, focused on achieving institutional and national goals of workforce development. The School of Business and Digital Technologies comprises two (2) schools, the Department of ICTs and Digital Technologies and the Department of Management and Digital Entrepreneurship. These departments provide the public with a range of academic services to meet a growing number of careers and opportunities locally, regionally, and globally.

 

The School is devoted to the development and preparation of students who are able to confront the challenges of the fast-paced, dynamic work environment. The School produces graduates who are:

  • work ready;
  • professional and ethical;
  • adept at creative problem-solving;
  • embrace technological advancement;
  • and able to adapt to a rapidly evolving world.

Department

If you are interested in Web Development (Internet Technologies), Information Technology, Networking, Databases, Information Systems, or Library Science then the programmes offered by the Department of Information Science and Technology are tailor-made for you. Students will undertake courses in Systems Administration, Data Management, Voice over Internet Protocols (VoIP), Wireless Systems, Wired Systems, Routers, Switches, CCNA, Oracle, Microsoft certifications and Systems Analysis and Design, e-commerce, Cyber Security, Database Administration, Database Programming, Human Computer Interface Design, Internships and Senior Projects. These will prepare students to fulfil what ACM/IEEE considers as the five pillars of IT Essentials. The pillars are web development, programming, networking, databases and interface design (ACM/IEEE 2017). Our Information and Library Science students will learn cataloguing, and classification, Caribbeana, records management, schools’ librarianship, information technology, management of libraries, digital libraries, and curricula development. In addition, you will be encouraged to engage with a broad range of contemporary issues in philosophy, politics, social sciences and economics to develop your analytical and critical thinking skills.

A degree specialization in the Web Development (Internet Technology) track will provide students with the fundamental skills necessary to develop and maintain the changes required in this dynamic and challenging field. Students will learn the basics of Internet application development and understand the importance of data security of the internet. A well-rounded programme of instruction addresses both the technical aspects of the field, as well as the many emerging business applications. The graduate will have the advantage of being able to work in diversified environments throughout the information technology industry. The practical knowledge gained from the programme provides a foundation of information technology skill-sets that can be used in website development, network management, programming, systems analysis, project management, e-commerce, or any number of fields within the industry. This programme is designed for students to be able to sit the CIW professional examinations.

The degree specialization in Networking is designed for individuals seeking a career in Information Technology with an emphasis on Networking. Some of the key areas include Network Administration, Network Security, Network Architecture and Wireless Communication. Students will have hands-on experiences with Network Systems commonly found in business environments. Students will discover how information systems support organizational success. Students will discover the technologies that make up the network infrastructures that allow for the successful transfer and use of mission-critical business information. They will install, configure, secure, administer, and troubleshoot network systems. Students will also address managing users, shared resources, and various other network components like routers and switches in LANs, WANs, and wireless and mobile network environments. This programme has been built to include the necessary competencies to complete the CCNA and CISSP professional examinations.

The General Degree in Information Technology seeks to produce a more all-rounded individual in the field who possesses a level of competency in several areas. The job market demand in the Caribbean focuses on the generalist areas as equally as important as the specialist areas. Students pursuing this degree would be employed in fields that require a broad knowledge of information technology (IT) and such the compulsory courses in this degree cover a wide range of areas. Examples of the graduate profile in this degree are persons seeking careers in teaching or persons who manage IT projects.

 

A growing trend internationally and in the Caribbean as businesses internationally and in the Caribbean is the merging of more than one job specification into one, in an effort to reduce cost. The General Degree addresses this need whereby employers can hire one person who can perform several different tasks in their respective computer departments around the Caribbean. This degree seeks to address this need by creating a broader and more flexible degree and certification options

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TESTIMONIALS

Kadeem Best, Lecturer; AA ISD

“Luckily, after much research and guidance from my Information Technology teacher …, I was pointed to the College of Science Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT). COSTAATT had an amazing Computer Information Systems (CIS) programme that literally encompassed everything that I wanted to learn, and well, the rest was history.” “Attending COSTAATT was undeniably one of my best decisions to date. I had the fortunate pleasure of meeting some amazing lecturers…, who have impacted my life in every possible way imaginable.”

https://www.stemcaribbean.com/kadeem/

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TESTIMONIALS

Harold Antoine, Data Analyst; B.Sc. Computer Information Systems

“I was impressed by the … teaching approach at COSTAATT. The lecturers were always warm, attentive and willing to go the extra mile. … There was also a focus on core courses which exposed you to a variety of subject areas.”

These programmes are designed to enable students to function as professionals in the dynamic and fast-paced field of Information Science, in schools, public, college and special libraries or in any other organization engaged in library-related activities. It facilitates your advancement to increasingly higher levels of information science responsibility in the workplace and provides you with a solid foundation of theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the areas of information science equity, preservation, conservation, retrieval, organization, dissemination, validation and knowledge management and the education of citizens in these areas for the benefit of all.

The Department of Management and Digital Entrepreneurship is one of the two departments that constitute the School of Business and Digital Technologies. We deliver programmes in the area of business studies. Our distinction though is that all our programmes incorporate an entrepreneurial focus. At the Department of Management and Digital Entrepreneurship, our mission is to nurture and develop entrepreneurs whose creative vision, innovative skills and knowledge gained through our programmes, will make them drivers of growth and development in Trinidad and Tobago. Our mission is to convert our students into futurepreneurs whose entrepreneurial skills will help transform traditional occupations and will lead to the creation of business opportunities, not only for themselves but also for others.

As stated before, we offer degrees in the area of business studies, but our focus in the Management and Digital Entrepreneurship Department is to develop an entrepreneurial spirit in our students. Graduates of our programmes must venture into the world of work equipped with entrepreneurial skills, which they can use to develop their own businesses and to add value as employees of enterprises in which they are employed.

 

In addition to offering a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship has been infused throughout the department’s entire curriculum to support and enhance programmes in the managerial and financial disciplines. In this way, a cadre of professionals prepared to lead the entrepreneurial enterprise will be available to support the achievement of the national goal of economic diversification through entrepreneurial activity.

The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Management and Entrepreneurship is uniquely designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills and competencies required for starting and growing their own businesses. It also proposes to create value-added employees for organisations, with the emphasis being placed on managerial decision-making. A distinctive feature of this programme (setting it apart from management-only or entrepreneurship-only degree programmes) is the cultivation of students’ entrepreneurial mind-set.

 

The end goal is to inculcate in students an entrepreneurial vision and enable them to be critical thinkers, exploiters of untapped opportunities and professional leaders, either in their own businesses or in the corporate/public sector. The programme emphasises the development of business-ready graduates who can readily operate as an entrepreneur, entrepreneurial managers or corporate managers. The programme affords students the opportunity to go through all of the processes involved in creating a new business and bringing it to the market.

Students who wish to pursue the BBA Management and Entrepreneurship can access the degree with their 5 CSEC subjects including mathematics and English. The programme is also tiered to allow for students who wish to start at the certificate level (18 credits). Should they wish to they can, after completing the certificate programme, access the diploma in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Management. They can then upgrade to the AAS in Business Administration (61 credits) and subsequently, the BBA in Management and Entrepreneurship. All credits are transferable to the ensuing programme level.

The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Business Administration prepares students with the foundational business management and entrepreneurship knowledge and skills required for entry-level positions in business or social enterprises. This allows our students to apply entrepreneurial and management (marketing, human resources and accounting) concepts to improve operational performance and aid in organisational decision making. Building on this knowledge and skills, students have the option for academic progression into the BBA Management and Entrepreneurship programme or any other bachelor’s degree programmes offered by the Department of Management and Digital Entrepreneurship.

The Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Management develops and strengthens participants’ entrepreneurial mind-set, putting them on the trajectory to start a business or social enterprise or to expand an existing enterprise through new product development or enhancement. Students can also use their skill to develop social programmes. Participants gain basic knowledge as to how to operate and manage a business in Trinidad and Tobago. This programme is most suitable for persons already in business and who need certification and/ or retooling.

The Diploma in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Management builds upon the certificate programme, providing opportunities for existing business and social enterprise leaders to revitalise and reorganise their endeavours. It provides the foundational business and entrepreneurial knowledge for new start-ups in the business and the social sector, allowing successful graduation and easy transition to the AAS and the BBA programmes with 26-credit exemptions.

There is a continuous demand for skilled accounting professionals locally, regionally and internationally across all industries and in organizations of different sizes. Attaining a formal, technical accounting education sets the foundation for careers in Corporate Reporting, Management Accounting, Auditing, Finance and Tax Consultancy across all industries and business sectors.

 

Students, especially those with the aptitude for numbers and business, will continue to be attracted to accounting education because of the continuous demand, attractive pay and the opportunity to operate in a problem-solving environment, to function at a strategic level and work with numbers.

Becoming a Chartered Accountant (CA) in any jurisdiction requires, amongst other things, attaining a recognised academic qualification. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad and Tobago (ICATT) is the sole organization in Trinidad and Tobago with the right to award the Chartered Accountant designation. In order to become a member of ICATT, one must belong to an Approved IFAC Member Body, for example, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). COSTAATT’s BA Accounting degree has gained international accreditation from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in 2017, making COSTAATT the first Tertiary Education Institution in the Caribbean to gain nine (9) ACCA Exemptions. Therefore, students wishing to become a Chartered Accountant in Trinidad and Tobago have the option of doing the BA Accounting at COSTAATT to seamlessly move on to the ACCA qualification for admission to ICATT membership, thereby becoming a Chartered Accountant (CA).

This Certificate in Supervisory Management is the first level of a two-year diploma programme which has been specially designed for persons who have been assigned supervisory responsibilities without formal training or who need retraining for the modern office environment. Students’ also receive skills training in the use of the Microsoft Office Suite. In addition to acquiring practical supervisory skills and enhanced communication skills, students are exposed to the theoretical framework of organizational behaviour, which will equip them to make more judicious and informed decisions.

 

The two-year part-time Diploma in Supervisory Management is specially designed for persons who have been assigned supervisory responsibilities without formal training. Students learn practical skills in supervision, effective communication, conflict management and resolution, industrial relations, financial procedures and budgeting and occupational safety and health. Applicants with significant supervisory experience can apply for exemption from selected Year 1 courses through the College’s Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) Services.

Key Contacts

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Office of the Dean:

Email address: [email protected]
Telephone contact: 868-625-5030 ext.

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Administrative Assistant: Mr. Shaun Balfour

Email address: [email protected]
and [email protected]
Telephone contact: 868-625-5030 ext. 5465

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Administrative Assistant: Maurisa Charles

Email address: [email protected]
Telephone contact: 868-625-5030 ext. 5463

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COSTAATT Office of the Registrar

For information on GATE please visit Welcome To GATE eService (e-gate.gov.tt) or contact:
Registrar
Email address: [email protected]
Telephone contact: 625-5030 ext. 5123

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Department of Management and Digital Entrepreneurship

Chair: Heather-Dawn Sealey
Email address: [email protected] and [email protected]
Telephone contact: 868-625-5030 ext. 5474

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Department of ICTs and Digital Technologies

Chair: Roger Chung
Email address: [email protected]
Telephone contact: 868-625-5030 ext. 5480

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COSTAATT Enrolment Management Department

Admissions Counsellor: Natalie Franco / Marvin Pollard
Email address: [email protected] and [email protected] [email protected] and [email protected]
Telephone contact: 625-5030 ext. 5260, 5782