The Caribbean Association of Administrative Professionals (CAAP) is the umbrella body for member Associations in the various CARICOM countries as well as the wider Caribbean area.
CAAP is committed to the objective of its motto: "United Towards a Better World" and envisages a vibrant organization embracing all secretaries and administrative professionals; forging links which surmount political considerations and jealousies; and raising to new heights the standard of the profession in the region.
Leadership and Operations of CAAP
The Association is governed by a Council comprising the Executive Committee and one representative of each member Association for Administrative Professionals.
The Executive Committee is responsible for implementing the decisions of Council and for conducting the affairs of the Association between Council Meetings. Effective July 2012 the Executive Committee was de-centralized and now comprise Officers from Member Associations throughout the Caribbean/CARICOM, namely St. Kitts, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. The Committee's Officers are:
President
First Vice President
Second Vice President/Public Relations Officer
Honorary Secretary
Honorary Treasurer/Assistant Secretary
Territorial Representative (Northern Territories)
Territorial Representative (Southern Territories)
CAAP's Operations
In addition to presiding over the day to day activities of CAAP, the Executive Committee hosts two Council Meetings during its term of office (Article VI of the By-Laws):
The first Council Meeting is attended only by delegates from Member Associations who are Presidents (of their local Association) and CAAP Liaison Officers or their representatives. Permission can be sought from the Executive Committee to have observers attend.
The second Council Meeting/Convention is held in the month of July. During this biennial Convention both Opened and Closed Council Meetings are convened.
The Executive Council and Executive Committee are guided by the Association's Constitution, Rules and By-Laws and Policy and Procedure Instructions Manual.
The headquarters of CAAP have so far been located in:
Trinidad and Tobago - 1988/1990
Jamaica - 1990/1992
Barbados - 1992/1994
St. Lucia - 1994/1996
Trinidad and Tobago - 1996/1998
Jamaica - 1998/2000
Barbados - 2000/2002
St. Kitts & Nevis - 2002/2004
Guyana - 2004/2006
Barbados - 2006/2008
Trinidad and Tobago - 2008/2010
Jamaica - 2010/2012
At Council Meeting in Jamaica, July 2011, members voted for the decentralization of the Executive and thus in July 2012 the first decentralized Executive was elected and installed. Thus representatives from Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, constituted the hierarchy of CAAP. Cyndie Demming of NAAP St. Kitts was installed as the first President of the decentralized Executive for the period 2012-2014.
At Council Meeting in 2014, some members of the 2012-2014 Executive elected to serve a further term for the period 2014 -2016. Ms Sandra Handfield of the Turks and Caicos Islands was elected to the CAAP Executive on board the cruise at Convention 2014.
Membership
There are four categories of membership in CAAP namely
Office Professional Associations in the Caribbean region
Individuals in the administrative profession - not exceeding three persons - in countries where no Association exists
Associate - an individual who may not fit directly into the category of administrative professional, a firm or educational/training institution that sustains the objective of CAAP
Affiliate - (a) A teacher/tutor who is employed in the teaching of business education ~ (b) An individual, firm or educational/training institution which sustains the objectives of CAAP
Member countries of CAAP are: Aruba, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos.
Individual member: Grenada
Aims and Objectives of CAAP
To elevate the standard of the secretarial and administrative profession.
To establish a register of secretaries and administrative support staff in the region.
To promote and encourage closer unity among secretaries and office professionals in the Caribbean region and maintain affiliation with other organisations with similar objectives.
To collate and disseminate relevant and up-to-date information to Associations/individual members.
To provide technical and other assistance to member organisations in respect of their efforts to further the educational development of the secretary and office professional.
To achieve regional standards in all aspects of the secretarial profession by assisting in the development of professional standards.
To serve as a central co-ordinating agency for contact or affiliation with international organisations.
To serve as a central co-ordinating agency for discussion with regional institutions and organisations with which the Association may become affiliated.
To carry out such other objectives in the interest of the secretarial and office profession as may be determined from time to time by Council.
Background History of CAAP
The Association was inaugurated on July 21, 1988 at the Convention of Secretaries which took place in Antigua and Barbuda. Nine countries participated in the historic event namely Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Bahamas, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad and Tobago was chosen to be the first headquarters of then Caribbean Association of Professional Secretaries (CAPS). Ethlyn John of the National Secretaries Association of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Yvonne Peart of the Jamaica Professional Secretaries Association were elected first President and Territorial Representative respectively of CAPS. Other members of the National Secretaries Association of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago were appointed members of the first Executive Committee.
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