BTC continues to demonstrate its leadership and its commitment to the community. Seventeen students have graduated from the company’s “Future Tech Stars Program,” and BTC has also onboarded Nicholas Hudson, as part of the “LLA Graduate Program”. The company strongly believes in the importance of training and developing high-potential students and nurturing top-notch talent.
Darron Turnquest, People Director commented, “We are proud of our Future Tech Stars and we also welcome Nicholas Hudson to the team as our first participant in the LLA Graduate program. Earlier this year, we shared some startling statistics citing that women only make up 25% of the current global workforce in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Men still predominantly major in STEM fields in college, which represent some of the fastest-growing, and highest-paid jobs of the future. We are proud of the admirable stance that our parent company has taken to ensure that more students across the Caribbean have access to the tools, and training through Future Tech Stars to ensure their success.”
The all-expense paid, 20-week Future Tech Stars program included over 800 participants from the Caribbean and Latin America. In this intense program, students were immersed in digital + crypto literacy, web development, and programming in python. In addition to the courses, students were also exposed to a mentorship program, where they had the opportunity to learn more about the field of technology from some of the key movers and shakers within LLA and CWC. The program kicked off in April, following International Women’s Day, and the students had the opportunity to move their virtual tassels from right to left in their graduation exercise.
Fourteen year old, Nyah Seymour said: “I wanted to learn more about the IT field. I’ve learned the different coding languages and many entrepreneurs that have made an impact on the world with their inventions.” While thirteen-year-old Denalyia Thompson said, “To learn more about HTML & CSS and to have more opportunities to choose from in the tech field in the future. I recommend this program to other young ladies so they can learn more about tech and think about getting into the field.”
Nicholas Hudson, a recent graduate of Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama is a part of the LLA Graduate Program which kicked off recently at LLA’s headquarters in Panama with an onboarding exercise. Hudson, a Bahamian student is a part of the initial cohort of 15 graduates.
The LLA graduate program provides mentorship and support and places the graduates in a rotation program to learn insights into core business areas. In return, the company will be able to build a bench of leaders to take on management roles, also positioning the company as the employer of choice in the telecoms market.
The LLA Graduate Program calls on new professionals, like Hudson, to act and be protagonists of their careers through the tools and opportunities that the company will offer him. He is expected to bring his skills and talent to special projects and offer a contribution to real business challenges. Hudson is presently on rotation with the Small and Medium Business team.
“I am excited to be working with BTC in the commercial side of the business,” Hudson said. “I can attribute this excitement to the wonderful onboarding process at LLA in Panama. The team in Panama made sure that all the graduates knew what to expect when we began working, and although many of us were anxious and a little worried, we were also inspired and excited to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.”
Hudson says he chose the LLA Graduate Program because he is determined to always move forward and place himself in situations to continue to be better and strive forward professionally. He hopes that his experience helps him to grow, not only as a professional but as a person. He wants to build his confidence in public speaking and become someone who can inspire others to achieve their dreams no matter howcomplex or simple.