Both Sides of The Coin: The Story of The Central Bank of Barbados 1972-2017

62 were used more extensively than in the formative years. For example, during 1976 and 1977 alone, BIMAP training was made available to 55 staff members. In-house training began in 1976. Recognising the growing interaction with institutions in Central and South America, for a period of time starting in 1979 the Bank provided some exposure to Spanish and French. During the early 1980s, the in-house training was expanded to include computer literacy and the Use of English. The last-mentioned course was particularly helpful to the economists as they strove to improve the quality of their research work and published reports; this was complemented by in- house instruction in report writing in 1985. Between 1980 and 1982, the work of the economists also benefited from an attachment by Lloyd Muschette, a former director of research at the Bank of Jamaica. Bank support for professional and academic studies also took root early in this period. By 1978, a number of employees were already pursuing the ACCA and AIB qualifications and there were four individuals The expanding staff. Clockwise from top left: Bank Secretary, Adrian Clarke, the Bank Supervision Department and the Banking and Currency Department.