Project Blue Mountain’s Tech Wave Conference, powered by Microsoft, returns to the University of Technology, Jamaica, Papine Campus, on Friday, October 24, 2025.

The event will be executed under the theme ‘Future-Ready: Igniting Talent, Driving Innovation, Expanding Caribbean Opportunities’.

The one-day hybrid conference will bring together students, academics, and industry leaders for workshops, networking sessions, and the highly anticipated PBM Hackathon Challenge ending at 5:30 pm.

The hackathon will feature six finalist teams from UTech, Jamaica; UWI, Mona; and NCU, competing to develop innovative solutions to address environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges.

More than 30 teams are currently being mentored by technical experts. The top three teams will share US$10,000 in prize money with the winner receiving US$5,000, while second and third place finalists will be awarded US$3,000 and US$2,000 respectively.

This year’s staging of Project Blue Mountain’s Tech Wave Conference (formerly Microsoft Day) has been expanded to include participation from students at some high schools enrolled in both technical and non-technical disciplines. For the second-consecutive year students from the partnering tertiary institutions will compete in the PBM Hackathon Challenge, presenting innovative solutions to real-world problems.

Participants can look forward to:

• technical workshops on artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, data analytics, and Large Language Models (LLMs) with Azure labs

• non-technical sessions on technology-enabled business roles, programme and product management, and the role of creatives in digital storytelling

• professional development training, including résumé optimisation, personal branding, and cross-industry networking

• Hackathon 2025 Finale at which student teams present their apps, compete for prizes, and get feedback from industry judges

• networking opportunities, connect with peers, mentors, and industry leaders throughout the day.

• remote attendance options

Keynote speaker Nadeen Matthews Blair, chair, Jamaica Artificial Intelligence Association, will share insights from her experience as an artificial intelligence consultant to explore how innovation can unlock Caribbean opportunities.

Shane Patterson, principal technical program manager at Microsoft and Project Blue Mountain leader noted that the programme is designed to empower students with practical skills while helping them build sustainable professional portfolios.

“Coming back home and being able to pour into the students the way I would’ve wanted for myself is priceless. It’s a full-circle moment for our entire Project Blue Mountain team. As the saying goes, ‘We are the ones we’ve been waiting for,” he said.