Tuesday’s official signing of an agreement for the establishment of the National Baking Company Foundation STEM Enhancement Scholarship Fund will be a major game-changer in developing a cadre of quality educators in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), says Professor Michael Taylor. The launch of the Building Out Our STEM Teachers (BOOST) Programme between the foundation and The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, will drive investment of J$159.6 million over a six-year period in critical fields viewed as the engine of the new economy.

“It provides them with employment immediately upon graduation and supplies the education sector with a steady stream of new STEM teachers each year,” said Taylor, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology. In the long run it will enhance STEM competencies in the future workforce and thereby contribute to national development. It is a win-win for all involved.” Developed [by the Faculty of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Faculty of Humanities and Education] in response to the pressing need for quality STEM teachers in the classroom, BOOST is seen as a “back-end incentivised scholarship scheme”.

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