Beneficiaries of the International Gaming Technology (IGT), Jamaica’s After-School Advantage Programme visited the Scientific Research Council (SRC) on February 21, 2020, for a tour that included visits to the Council’s Biotechnology Unit and Wastewater facilities. “The After School Advantage (ASA) program is IGT’s flagship community initiative, devoted to providing young people with access to technology in a safe, nurturing afterschool environment while promoting opportunities in digital learning centres in communities where the Company operates.”
The group, which consisted of students of various schools, some of whom were wards of the state, was accompanied by members and associates of the IGT team. The students were excited to learn about the different roles of the SRC and demonstrated a keen interest in the areas they toured. They interacted with members of the SRC team in the Biotechnology Unit and Wastewater Management Unit and were given demonstrations of work being done. They were able to have hands-on experience with tissue culture technology, which the SRC utilises to support Jamaica’s agricultural sector.
The IGT provides donations in the form of digital resources and the establishment of learning centres for Jamaica’s most vulnerable children; they lauded the SRC for facilitating the educational tour as they seek to fulfil their corporate responsibility and contribute to the education and wellbeing of the children with whom they interact.
The SRC, committed to its mandate and use of science, technology and innovation to support the growth and development of Jamaica, is currently in discussions with IGT, Jamaica to provide training that will enrich the youth in their charge.