FOR the 2023/2024 academic year, the Department of Infrastructure, Ports and Transport under its Renewable Energy Sector Development Project (RESDP) awarded scholarships to seven females to pursue programmes of study at Sir Arthur Lewis Community College.
The RESDP is aimed at reducing Saint Lucia’s dependence on fossil fuels by conducting geothermal exploration drilling to determine if there is a viable geothermal resource of suitable quality to pursue the establishment of a geothermal power plant.
In total, 32 scholarships are being awarded, financed by the Canada Clean Energy and Forests Climate Facility. The scholarships target females and is geared towards reducing the gender gap in technical education and jobs within the energy sector which existed during the project appraisal stage in 2021. Available data at the time, revealed a significant gender gap in STEM education and within the workforce.
Speaking at the Awards ceremony held at the SALCC, the Human Resource Officer of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports and Transport, Ms. Grace Lyn Louis Victorin, applauded the 10 scholarship awardees from 2022 and the seven new awardees for this year encouraging them to put in the required efforts to successfully complete the program and not be deterred by the academic, social and cultural challenges which they will face. She expressed the hope that the students’ studies in the technical field be their pathway to lifelong success.
Curt Harris, Dean of Academic Partnerships and Internationalization of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, recognised the value of this initiative indicating how happy the institution is to be a partner and lauding the impact it has had on female students. He commended the RESDP project, acknowledging the number of opportunities that will be opening up in Saint Lucia’s energy sector
The scholarships provide each awardee with tuition for the two years of study, a uniform allowance, a laptop, transportation allowance, a school supplies allowance and a tool kit. It also provides the opportunity for students to have extended paid internships within the energy sector.
There are 15 scholarships still available and scholarship recipient Shurpal Dorville is calling on all students to take advantage of this opportunity, as students need only to focus solely on their studies since everything else is provided for and that the scholarships also opens doors to careers in the energy sector.