Education

Minister Cummins Tours Inaugural Energy Camp

Energy matters took centre stage last week when approximately 75 children were exposed to the inaugural one-week Energy Science Camp.

The Division of Energy in the Ministry of Energy and Business, in partnership with the Ministry of Innovation, Industry, Science and Technology (MIST) the interactive camp for children six to 11 years old. The camp was integrated into the annual MIST Science Camp as a new element for the campers.

Minister of Energy and Business, Senator Lisa Cummins, visited the camp, at The St. Michael School, and underscored the importance of the initiative. She called on corporate Barbados involved in that sector, to support a bigger camp next year.

“We want…to scale up this camp and make it something that is even bigger in the years to come. So, we’re welcoming the support of corporate Barbados and those, particularly who are invested in the energy space, and I am inviting them to come on board so that we can continue to build this…,” Senator Cummins stated.

In giving the rationale for the camp, the Minister said it was necessary to ensure that the children were a part of Barbados’ energy future.

“We’re using a national energy plan…from 2019, and in many ways that needs to be updated now. It needs to now take us into the next phase of our energy transition, and to solve some of the problems that we have encountered as we have implemented that plan. So that’s what we’re navigating now.

So, for that reason, we…wanted to make sure that the young people can see, feel and touch what the energy future for them can look like, and so the camp really was birthed out of that process,” she explained.

During the camp, the children learnt about wind energy, wind turbines, solar energy, energy conservation and energy efficiency, among other areas. They also engaged in various challenges, toured the Barbados National Oil Company Limited, and saw solar and wind farms as they travelled across the island.

Senator Cummins noted that the campers were exposed to various career opportunities available in the energy sector, to allow them to become familiar with potential careers.

“I think that exposing young people to what their options are, by getting them immersed in what is happening in these sectors, is critical for young people…. Energy and energy transition is about bringing people, and in this case young people, along for the journey, and we’re very happy to have been able to do that,” she stated.

The Ministry’s team was assisted by facilitators from Robot Adventures and Relay Education, with sponsorship from Blue Circle Energy; the Barbados National Oil Company Limited; the National Petroleum Corporation; and the Transport Board.

On Monday, August 19, the Ministry of Energy and Business will replicate the week-long Energy Science Camp at the National Summer Camp, at the Hilda Skeene Primary School, Ruby, St. Philip. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Minister of Energy and Business, Senator Lisa Cummins, speaking to camper Max Gill as he designs a solar car

Education

2024-2025 Academic School Year Started Today

Following the in-progress planning week for administration and teachers, the 2024-2025 school year will officially started today Monday, September 16, for students.

According to the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, there will be 38 weeks of instruction for the new academic year.

The Michaelmas term (Term I) will run for 13 weeks. During this term, there will be Teachers’ Professional Day, occurring on Friday, October 25. There will also be a mid-term break from Thursday, October 31, to Friday, November 1, 2024.

The term will conclude for students on Thursday, December 12, 2024, and for teachers on Friday, December 13, 2024.

Following a three-week vacation, the Hilary Term (Term II), will begin on Monday, January 6, for teachers and Tuesday, January 7, 2025, for students. This term will also have 13 weeks of teaching with a two-day break occurring from Thursday, February 20, to Friday, February 21, 2025.

The term ends Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4, 2025, for students and teachers, respectively.
Term III, also called the Trinity Term, will run for 12 weeks. Teachers will resume on Tuesday, April 22, while students will return to the classroom on Wednesday, April 23. There will be a one-day mid-term break, on Friday, June 6.

The school year officially ends for students on Thursday, July 10, and Friday, July 11, for educators. (PR/GIS)

Education

BECCS Workshops On Résumé Writing & Interviewing Techniques

Barbadians seeking to learn how to write résumés and perform well on job interviews, can do so when the Barbados Employment and Career Counselling Service (BECCS) hosts two workshops, later this month.

The workshops, to be held on Tuesday, September 24, and Wednesday, September 25, will both address Résumé Writing and Interviewing Skills.

They will be conducted in the Amphitheatre, 1^st Floor, Warrens Office Complex, Warrens, St. Michael, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Applicants may call 535-1535/47/48/59; 256-2290/832-0532/262-6498/832-0480, by Friday, September 20, to confirm their interest.

Education

Financial Literacy Facilitators Enhance Skills

The 17 facilitators for the National Financial Literacy Programme’s (NFLP) schools’ component, FLITE, have been given an opportunity to enhance their skills and become more effective in the classroom.

A one-day FLITE Facilitators Enhancement Training Workshop, which was conducted by Inspire Leadership Solutions Group, was held recently at the Warrens Office Complex.

Programme Coordinator for the schools’ component, Corey Worrell, explained that the workshop had several objectives, including developing and refining core facilitation skills to create dynamic and inclusive learning experiences.

“Additionally, our aims were to strengthen team-building skills to enhance collaboration and communication among facilitators; equip facilitators with innovative strategies and tools to effectively engage learners in the FLITE Programme, with a particular focus on experiential learning; and foster a deeper understanding of the diverse learning needs of participants to ensure an impactful programme delivery.

“This will ensure that all facilitators are adequately prepared to deliver the FLITE Programme and maintain a level of consistency in our standards of execution,” Mr. Worrell said.

Managing Director of Inspire Leadership Solutions Group, Dario Richards, described the financial literacy facilitators as “excellent”, and pointed out that his organisation was “enhancing their skills” so they would be effective in the classroom.

Mr. Richards outlined that the four main topics covered during the workshop were the journey of change; effective facilitation; experiential learning; and team building.

Stating that change is a journey, the Managing Director noted that within it, there are core milestones. With regard to effective facilitation, he pointed out that facilitators were different from teachers, and they therefore needed to have the requisite skills to be effective in the classroom.

“Experiential learning is our (Inspire Leadership’s) core training style. Persons learn by not just sharing content or PowerPoint slides, but engaging in activities and games, in discussions and debates, so people don’t only have theory but they have experiences,” he stated.

Underscoring the importance of the one-day training, Mr. Richards continued: “A facilitator’s role is to carry individuals on a journey of change…. So, I think this is important because you’re introducing new financial literacy content into a school setting, which for some may be easy to grasp, while for others it may not be such an easy topic to grasp, depending on their background.”

Mr. Richards stressed that it was necessary to tap into all the different learning styles to meet people “where they are at”. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Participants of the one-day FLITE Facilitators Enhancement Training Workshop which was conducted by Inspire Leadership Solutions Group