Fri | Apr 19, 2024

JEP to disburse more than $11 million in scholarship awards

Published:Monday | July 22, 2019 | 12:18 AM
Wayne Mckenzie (left), president and CEO of West Kingston Power Partners & Jamaica Energy Partners (JEP), and Melissa Newman (second left), public and community relations specialist, handing over the cheque to recipients from west Kingston. The scholarships, which were awarded to more than 30 secondary and tertiary-level students, were presented at the JEP head office on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston.
Jermaine Barnaby
Wayne Mckenzie (left), president and CEO of West Kingston Power Partners & Jamaica Energy Partners (JEP), and Melissa Newman (second left), public and community relations specialist, handing over the cheque to recipients from west Kingston. The scholarships, which were awarded to more than 30 secondary and tertiary-level students, were presented at the JEP head office on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston.

Thirty students who successfully completed the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) and seven tertiary students will on Friday receive scholarships totalling a little more than $11 million from Jamaica Energy Partners (JEP) and West Kingston Power Partners (WKPP).

The PEP students, who will transition to high school this upcoming school term, will be awarded $35,000 while tertiary students will receive scholarships valuing $250,000 or grants of $180,000. The scholarships will extend throughout the course of their studies once a B+ average is maintained.

JEP and WKPP are of the view that access to higher education is pivotal to the advancement of the country. Over the past 20 years, JEP has focused on educational support as an important part of its corporate social responsibility. “We strongly endorse students dedicated to achieving the highest level of education and take pride in providing the necessary materials and resources required for them to excel,” a release from the company stated.

In 1997, JEP officially established its scholarship and grants programme for Region Six, which covers the parishes of St Catherine and Clarendon. In 2012, its affiliate, WKPP, also developed a scholarship fund to support Region One, which covers Kingston and St Andrew. Since the implementation of both programmes, JEP and WKPP have assisted more than 1,000 students at the secondary and tertiary levels.

Although JEP’s scholarship programme focuses on fulfilling the academic pursuits of young people, it also plays an integral role in the personal and professional lives of the company’s current scholarship recipients. Tertiary recipients are required to participate in at least three outreach events each year, which include volunteering at JEP-WKPP health and dental fairs, Labour Day projects, and environmental initiatives such as tree planting and International Coastal Clean-up Day.

The award ceremony will be held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, starting at 9 a.m. Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Fayval Williams will address the awardees.