UTech students receive scholarships from Jamaica Developers Association

The Jamaica Developers Association (JDA) on Wednesday, June 5, presented $1.2 million in scholarships to three aspiring construction and architecture professionals studying at the School of Building and Land Management (SBLM) and the Caribbean School of Architecture (CSA) in the Faculty of the Built Environment (FOBE). The students received their awards during a ceremony held at the Shared Facilities Building at the University of Technology’s Papine campus.

The recipients are Durval Clayton, a final-year BSc construction engineering student who received the JDA’s Eustace Bird Memorial Scholarship valued at $350,000 and Britney Byfield, also a final-year student pursuing a BA in architectural studies who was awarded the inaugural Joyce Bolton Memorial Scholarship valued at $350,000. Jevaughn Carey, final-year student in the BSc in construction engineering programme, and Annecia Gordon, who is completing her diploma in construction management, were the recipients of the JDA’s special awards bursaries of $250,000 each.

Highlighting the supportive relationship between the Jamaica Developers Association and the university, Pauline Madourie, scholarship officer, University of Technology, Jamaica, noted that the journey began with the “JDA approaching the UTech Foundation on May 25, 2004”. This was during the celebration of the association’s 35th anniversary at which time they established “the Eustace Bird Memorial Scholarship and our first recipient received $56,400”, informed Madourie. She added, “Today, the JDA can boast $1.2 million for the 2023/2024 academic year.” Madourie further shared that the late Eustace Bird, in whose name the first-ever JDA scholarship was established, served “as the first secretary and manager of the company for 22 years”, while the late Joyce Bolton in whose name the association’s newest scholarship has been established, “served for 28 years in the organisation” also assuming the role of secretary and manager.

PRACTICAL WORK EXPERIENCE

Dr Laurence Neufville, dean, Faculty of the Built Environment, congratulated the JDA team for supporting needy students at the university. He said that both UTech, Jamaica and the JDA have a moral and professional responsibility to respond to the challenges brought on by harsh and prolonged weather conditions so that “our built artefacts can be resilient to these new changes”.

He invited the JDA team to engage the students in the operations of the association by providing them with opportunities for practical work experience, and encouraged the awardees to give back to UTech, Jamaica upon completion of their studies.

Acknowledging the significance of his team’s contribution to UTech, Jamaica, Jamaica Developers Association Chairman Dayton Wood stated, “We are only able to do what we do because institutions like UTech, develop students and our engineers, architects who assist us to build the products that are lasting and are credible to the country.” He shared that the scholarship interview panel was impressed with this year’s recipients, observing that they are young people who are “making do with sometimes very little assistance, but they have really put their shoulders to the wheel and are committed and determined.”

LOW TAKE-UP RATE

Professor Garfield Young, former dean, Faculty of The Built Environment and whose dialogue with the JDA was fundamental in this year’s expansion of the initiative to include the establishment of the JDA’s inaugural Joyce Bolton Memorial Scholarship, described the association’s support as “critical” and one which “contributes to the dream of our students. He applauded the collaboration between the university and the industry partner, noting that higher education is less about “people who lock themselves in a place and call themselves a university” and more about the “joint venture between industry and those of us in academia”.

Professor Young also urged the scholarship recipients to encourage their peers to seize similar financial opportunities to aid their educational development as the Faculty sometimes sees a low take-up rate for scholarships advertised. “With the very few agencies providing financial support, when we advertise, we shouldn’t have to go digging to find persons because from our standpoint in the faculty, we know that the attrition is quiet high and it’s not because they are not able to study or to carry the workload, it is because they cannot afford it.”

Scholarship recipients Durval Clayton and Britney Byfield expressed their gratitude to the JDA for investing in their education. Clayton said, “This incredible gift is a great help to the awardees financially allowing us to attend university with fewer debts.”