AFTER two successful years, International Game Technology (IGT), along with its training partner Mona GeoInformatics Institute (MGI), is hosting a third IGT Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp.

Twenty-three Jamaicans are included in the group of 72 Caribbean students participating in the virtual camp which started on Monday and runs until July 28 through an After School Advantage (ASA) philanthropic initiative sponsored by IGT.

Part of IGT’s Sustainable Play programme, ASA is the company’s flagship community initiative devoted to providing youth with access to technology while promoting opportunities in digital learning in communities where IGT operates.

The programme ensures students have access to participate in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) educational opportunities while developing the knowledge and skills for the jobs of tomorrow.

There are 40 IGT ASA centres in the Caribbean providing computers and access to the digital world for youngsters who would not otherwise enjoy this opportunity.

The youth participants in the camp are from institutions where IGT ASA computer centres are established. These include the Mustard Seed Communities–Matthew 25:40; the Sunbeam Children’s Home; the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation bases in Mandeville, Manchester, and Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland; the SOS Children’s Village in Stony Hill, St Andrew; and the Spring Village Development Foundation.

The MGI at The University of the West Indies has been instrumental in creating, developing, and delivering the camp curriculum for the past three years. This year MGI introduced a new approach as it is delivering both Levels I and II courses concurrently.

The theme of this year’s camp is, “Think it, Code it, Solve it”. IGT Jamaica’s General Manager Debbie Green says the camp will equip students with marketable technology skills and encourage them to create digital solutions that advance their country’s development.

“We want to encourage innovativeness and creativity in our students. This year’s theme particularly challenges them to create solutions to address issues related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” said Green.

The students, aged 11 to 18, are expected to cover the basics of computer programming, web development, and robotics in conjunction with other topics for the level I introductory course. Meanwhile, level II students will be taught more advanced techniques and will be introduced to artificial intelligence.

Regional vice-president for IGT Latin America and the Caribbean Juan Pablo Chadid said the training camp is designed to stimulate an interest in technology among the students, which, in turn, will encourage them to pursue STEM careers in different fields.

“Our students have access to top resources and they learn skills needed to pursue lasting careers in STEM. With the age of the technological revolution in mind, students are provided with vital tech skills to fill the technological gaps in the job market,” said Chadid.

The Jamaican students will join others from the English-speaking Caribbean countries — Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, St Maarten, and the US Virgin Islands for the camp.