TT group bids to host Secretaries Summit

The event takes place from today to Wednesday. The group will present a bid to host the seventh International Summit in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009.

The delegation includes NAAP President Josephine Marchan, Carol Ann Crossley, chairperson of the Summit Committee/delegate and Charon Maxime.

Sybil Jack-Valentine, Jennifer Francis-Taylor, Joycelin Jack-son and Carol Joseph are participants in the Summit.

The group was founded as the National Secretaries Associa-tion (nSa) in July 1969 by Grace Talma, Velma Jardine, principal of Stenotype College and then Mayor of Port-of-Spain, the late Hamilton Holder.

The group’s name changed three times through the years to embrace the evolution of the profession and to reflect the broader range of job titles and expanded responsibilities held by today’s administrative support staff.

The purpose of the association is “to provide education and training, and set standards of excellence recognised by tertiary institutions, the business community, the public sector and the region.”

At the local level, the association, in collaboration with the University of the West Indies, has set up an Administrative Professional Secretaries’ programme.

One of the major annual events hosted by the association since 1973 is the choosing of a Secretary of the Year.

The aim of the Summit is to brainstorm ideas from the creative minds of those present to take the International Associa-tions and the profession forward.

Each group at the summit includes three official delegates who take part in discussions and vote on issues considered most important to the profession.

They will adopt from these ideas and present a strategic plan for the International Associations to the Internation-al Advisory Committee.

Members of the International Affiliate Associations may attend as participants and take part in separate group discussions.

They will feed the outcomes back to the Summit Delegates to aid in the preparation of action plans for implementation within their associations.

Office professionals who do not belong to an association are welcome to attend as participants.