Jamaica needs to develop more engineers to solve specific national problems, according to Courtney Campbell, president and CEO of the VM Group. 

For him, engineers have solid analytical and technical toolkits that can help address some of the country’s challenges related to productivity in manufacturing establishments, the transition to clean energy and solid waste management. 

“In 2017, there was a public discussion about the chronic shortage of qualified engineers in Jamaica and there was an announcement that three of the island’s leading universities, UWI’s Mona Campus, UTech and CMU (Caribbean Maritime University) had forged a partnership which will see them training at least 1,000 annually, up from the then number of 200. Five years later, where are we?” Campbell asked as he addressed the Annual Awards Dinner and Gala for the Jamaica Institution of Engineers (JIE) on November 12.

MEASURE OF ENGINEERING STRENGTH OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

In September 2016, the Royal Academy of Engineering published a report that considered the impact of engineering on economic development on a global scale. The Academy used a strategic and comprehensive selection of indicators such as engineering wages, exports, employment, businesses, graduates, among other variables to determine a new ‘Engineering Index’. 

The index is a measure of the engineering strength of different countries. They found concrete evidence to indicate that a country seeking to improve performance in engineering – whether through increasing the number of graduates, improving infrastructure or raising employment in engineering fields – is likely to experience wider economic development.

Along this vein, Campbell challenged the JIE to support tertiary institutions in a push to bolster the number of graduates yearly.

“It is important that we address this gap; because if we really want to make Jamaica more innovative, more productive and competitive, attract more foreign direct investments and accelerate growth, we need more qualified professional engineers and technicians to drive this growth.”

STEM SCHOLARSHIP VALUED AT $450K

In alignment with globally accepted views on the capacity of engineering to boost and build out broader economic bases for countries, Campbell said VM Group is making its own contribution. He noted that the VM Foundation has been making significant strides towards shaping the professional prospects of many young Jamaican engineers through providing STEM scholarships.

The Foundation offers a STEM scholarship valued at $450,000 per year for four years which, while transforming the lives of scholars, is also strategically contributing towards Jamaica’s economic growth.

“The closer a country is to the technological frontier, the greater the impact of investment in postgraduate education on productivity growth in that country,” said Campbell.