eDrive internship programme benefits tertiary students

Twenty-one students from tertiary institutions across the island are benefiting from Project eDrive’s 2023 Summer Internship Programme.

The internship programme which started in July goes up till September, seeks to form a gateway into working world for students. The objectives are to deliver engaging, hands-on experience with innovative technologies within the electric mobility and renewable energy sector.

In support of the initiative, newly appointed JPS President & CEO Steve Berberich outlined the synergistic relationship between electric mobility and renewables. He explained, “We’re interested in electric vehicles because of the climate, because of economic progress and because of all the things that it offers. We are also interested in putting a significant amount of renewables on our system. Electric vehicles and renewables are actually partners.”

JPS Director for Strategic Workforce Management Tania McDonald-Tomlinson said the programme also aims to make the students “professional” and “marketable”.

The students, who were chosen from engineering and IT programmes at Northern Caribbean University, the University of Technology, The University of the West Indies and Caribbean Maritime University, will each spend four to six weeks at an assigned business in the transportation or energy industries.

The 2021 summer internship participant, Malik McTavish, recounted his own experience with the programme – he is now employed with Jamaica Energy Partners.

WORTHWHILE SKILLS

“During my time at JPS, I developed some worthwhile skills, such as working on my own initiative, teamwork, research and workplace communication. While also getting the opportunity to contribute to the project by designing models on level two to level three electric vehicle charging stations.”

McTavish, who completed his internship with JPS Business Development Department, encouraged the 2023 internship cohort to maximise the opportunity.

“To the new interns, I wish you guys an enjoyable and worthwhile experience during this project and I urge you to go the extra step in whatever capacity you are placed in and ensure that you exit the project completing your objectives and having some takeaways to empower your lives,” McTavish added.

Noting the importance of fostering the development of young technical professionals eDrive project manager, Coleen Palmer-Wright, explained the conscious effort behind sustaining the programme.

“The eDrive internship programme plays a vital role in the goals of the eDrive project. One of our three targets for this programme is capacity building and training. With this programme, we will equip young engineers and technical professionals with the necessary skills to be successful,” Palmer-Wright shared.

Project eDrive is the collaborative effort of the JPS Foundation and IDB Lab created to support the growth of electric vehicle usage in Jamaica and the associated support services in preparation for the new era of business opportunities expected to follow the approval of the Electric Vehicle Mobility Policy announced in 2022.

Internship partners include Evergo, Forge Dynamics, JPS, Radiant Energy, Tropical Mobility, Tropical Renewable Energy, Solar Buzz and Wigton Windfarm Limited.