The Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI) and the United Commercial Autoworks Limited (UCAL) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enable students to acquire the skills required for the local, regional, and international automotive industry.
The MOU, which was signed on Tuesday by SJPI Principal, Ian Drakes, and Managing Director of UCAL, Pedro Stanford, during a brief ceremony at the Wildey, St. Michael campus, will provide scholarships for tuition and equipment, internship opportunities for students, and training for staff, among other benefits.
Mr. Drakes said he believes that SJPI students have the potential to use their skills in “any part of the world” and stressed that the partnership would allow them to maximise any opportunities.
He shared that during the school year, 16 students enrolled in the Automotive Engineering Programme would benefit from the partnership per semester, in the first instance. The Principal further disclosed plans to increase the total number of students to 32.
“What we will do is make the school day longer by bringing in two full-time groups, one from 9:00 a.m. to 3:50 p.m., and the [other group] from 4:50 p.m. until about 9:00 on evenings, to make sure that we can deal with the requisite demand. There is an explosion of hybrid and electric vehicles, and so, we have to meet that demand along with our old fossil fuel vehicles and therefore that is our rollout plan,” Mr. Drakes stated.
The Principal added that the SJPI receives more than 100 applicants every year for the Automotive Engineering Programme, and there is a growing interest among students each year, given the opportunities in the local and international car racing arenas.
“You may not be aware, but even with Formula 1 racing, our young people…are enthused and want to be a part of it. So therefore, that’s another aspect that we have to look at, the multi-billion sporting industry that lends impetus to persons wanting to be highly skilled and that’s why we are looking at two cohorts because of that interest,” Mr. Drakes stated.
He stressed that the SJPI “takes pride” in providing young Barbadians with the necessary skills to make a valuable contribution to the workforce, from “day one”.
“This new collaboration will provide our students with valuable exposure to real-world experiences [that would] enable them to develop the essential skills and the knowledge necessary for success in their chosen careers globally. We take great pride in this partnership to make sure that we are able to give the requisite trainees those necessary experiential skills for the Barbadian landscape, especially in automotive and mechanical aspects,” Mr. Drakes underlined.
Meanwhile, Mr. Stanford said UCAL was “very proud” to partner with the SJPI and commended the institution for continuously providing trained technicians to replace those who retire.
“We think that over the next couple of years, once we keep that cycle [of training] going, UCAL and the rest of the automotive industry will be well served,” he stated.
Also present during the signing ceremony was SJPI’s Deputy Principal, Brenda Osbourne, and UCAL’s Human Resources Officer, Jerry Ifill.