~Supporting young people to do their part on the journey to making the Caribbean the first climate-resilient region in the world!~
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands:---CCRIF invites Caribbean nationals to apply for its scholarship and internship programmes for 2023 (https://www.ccrif.org/scholarship and https://www.ccrif.org/ccrif-uwi-scholarships for scholarships and https://www.ccrif.org/regional-internship-programme for internships). Since 2010, CCRIF has been providing undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships to Caribbean nationals in areas related to disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, meteorology, environmental management, and civil engineering among others. In 2015, the Facility launched its flagship internship programme for Caribbean nationals by partnering with regional organizations and governments to host these interns and provide them with the opportunity to integrate their academic knowledge with the work environment.
In addition to being the world’s first risk pool providing parametric insurance to its 24 members, (19 Caribbean Governments, 3 Central American Governments and 2 Caribbean public utilities), CCRIF is also committed to building capacity and resilience in disaster risk management among its members. This is done through the CCRIF Technical Assistance Programme, whereby support is provided to member countries and regional organizations in the development and implementation of disaster risk management and climate change adaptation projects and programmes. The CCRIF Scholarship and Internship Programmes are also part of the TA Programme. The CCRIF TA Programme operates as the Facility’s corporate social responsibility programme and consists of four components.
At the launch of this year’s scholarship and internship programmes, CCRIF CEO Mr. Isaac Anthony said “As a development insurance company, CCRIF is committed to creating a more sustainable future for the region we call home. The scholarship and internship programmes were designed to build a cadre of professionals who can effectively contribute to comprehensive disaster risk management and reduce the vulnerabilities in the region, build resilience and fulfill the
Components of the CCRIF Technical Programme
ambition of making the Caribbean the world’s first climate-resilient region in the world”. Since the first scholarships and first internships were offered in 2010 and 2015 respectively, CCRIF has provided 165 scholarships for postgraduate and undergraduate study totaling US$1.7 million and 152 internships totaling US$409,000.
For 2023, CCRIF will continue to provide 4 scholarships of US$8,000 each to UWI students for the second and final years of their undergraduate degree. At the postgraduate level, CCRIF will provide 6 scholarships of US$11,000 each to students at Caribbean universities including The UWI (Cave Hill, Mona, and St. Augustine campuses), the University of Technology Jamaica, the University of Guyana, and University of Trinidad and Tobago among others. Eligible areas of study include but are not limited to Geography/Geology, Disaster Risk Management, Natural Resources Management, Climate Change, Civil Engineering, Meteorology, and Land Management.
The deadline for 2023 applications to both scholarship programs is: July 3, 2023.
CCRIF’s Regional Internship Programme is designed to provide opportunities for recent university graduates who have degrees in the areas of disaster risk management, environmental management, actuarial science, geography, climate studies, and other similar areas to be assigned to national and regional organizations in the Caribbean where their educational experience can be enhanced through practical work assignments. Host organizations have included national disaster management and meteorology agencies as well as regional entities including the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD), Office of Disaster and Emergency Management (ODPEM) - Jamaica, and departments and centers within The UWI – among many other organizations. CCRIF provides stipends to all its interns and accommodation allowances when interns are assigned to organizations outside of their home country.
The deadline for 2023 applications to the regional internship program is June 9, 2023.
The CCRIF Internship Programme is one of the largest in the Caribbean Region for areas related to disaster risk management and is welcomed by both young graduates and host organizations. Mr. Kenneth Kerr, a former Climate Specialist at the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service had this to say after hosting interns for a few years, “The program continues to grow the local scientific community footprint/talent in many ways and provides opportunities to foster relationships through mentorship and training. It allows for building a stream of young and qualified talents and offers them scope to try out different avenues along their career paths.”
Some of the benefits of the internship program are: Application of studies from a degree in a work setting Knowledge of new cultures Experience with technical software and models Increased accountability Exposure to experts and specialists in the DRM field Learning how to be more diplomatic Learning how to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines in a high-stress environment Improved ability to work in a team setting Exposure to diverse stakeholders (e.g. farmers, government officials) Positive feeling of having contributed to the work of host organizations and to the region Encouragement to “think outside the box” and at a higher level than previously required, leading to increased confidence Improved skills in GIS, mapping, database design, research, data collection and analysis Access to new and cutting-edge information and policy direction and ability to provide host organization with new and innovative ideas