The STEM U foundation is a pilot project that was established in 2023 as a welding and NDT program in partnership with St Ignatius high and NDE institute of South Carolina. The program focuses on 4 key areas in STEM education ranging from Agri STEM to engineering, healthcare and infotech. But their welding program has been the most promising so far. 7 of their students will be taking an international trip to attend a STEM training exchange in the US. Their Business Development Coordinator told us more about it today.
Flora Usher, Business Development Coordinator
"7 students are going to the international exchange program. Of those 7 students 2 of them are going to be fully funded by the STEM U foundation they are the top students and the other 5 are being sponsored by their parents together with other initiatives St Ignatius high school did to help for the expenses for this trip but while we are in Charlotte North Carolina we will also make a trip to Washington where the students will get an opportunity to visit with the Belize embassy to visit with the OAS and to visit with Howard University as well."
"From the 7 students that are going 6 of them are girls can you imagine that? And the top 2 students are girls too."
"The trip is geared to exposing them to hands on programs, its a comprehensive trip in that the students will get to visit welding facilities they will get to tour universities that cater for that type of degree program the American welding society has a huge event planned for them so it is basically like a comprehensive mentorship and exposure to what they are studying and how they can grow further in it."
The STEM U program at St Ignatius has created a vocational pathway for these students, who can later seek apprenticeship at some of Belize's largest industrial companies. Usher gave us more details as to how the program works.
Flora Usher, Business Development Coordinator
"Its unique because it is a one of a kind it is a certification program that prepares students for employment, you know it prepares them to complete vocational training and to go towards apprenticeship programs like for example."
"Currently we partner with Cayo steel, Belize natural energy and midwest steel, so students from the program do apprenticeship programs with them and some of them are also employed by some of these companies and we also recognize that there are many industries in the country that can use welding students as well."
"So you see when we are in highs school and they tell us at 3rd form we pick our field of study like business or sciences or you know at the St Ignatius high school the curriculum offers welding and NTD as a program so at the third year the students sign up for that program. During the 3rd year it is practically theory for welding NDT non destructive testing there is a fully equipped lab at St Ignatius high school that was funded by the STEM U foundation and there is a trained, trained instructor that is provided by the STEM U foundation as well together with a circle established through the ministry of education and also through the collaboration with NDE institute and so it is theory and practical. So when the kids graduate from high school they are ready to go into an apprenticeship."
