Popularization of Science and Technology
Science, technology and innovation (ST&I) are important factors that are key to the improvement of the economy and the quality of life of our nation. Therefore, it is important that there be an integration of ST&I into all aspects of society belief and value systems. The popularization of science and technology is critical to develop and execute a public awareness campaign that will entrench a culture of S&T in which the application of science in everyday life and industry are second nature. The NCST plays an integral role to the facilitation of popularization initiatives.
The Commission functions to promote the sustainable development and utilization of local science and technology capabilities, for competitive and profitable production through education of the populace, partnerships of government, private sector, academic institutions and other entities as are relevant. The Commission plays a facilitatory role in ensuring that players in the S&T system play their part in achieving the strategic objectives. Emphasis is placed on Participating in the broad dissemination of knowledge and information on S&T in order to ensure that the population understands the benefits and importance of S&T to the development of Jamaica.
STEM Mentorship Workshop Program
About the ‘Classroom to Real World Workshop’
The ‘Classroom to Real World Workshop’ is a special initiative of the NCST and the Science Division, under the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport (MSETT) which aims to connect students of science with professionals within the industry across the world. The Workshop includes both in person and virtual presentations with specially invited guests, who shares how their pursuit of science studies have propelled them into rewarding nontraditional science careers.
The first staging featured female students from UWI’s ‘Walking in Her Footsteps Mentorship Program. Subsequent stagings, have featured both male and female (STEM) students from other institutions including University of Technology (UTECH), the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) and the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU). The plan going forward is to extend the program to include science students from other tertiary institutions and upper level students from secondary institutions across Jamaica.
