For more than 10 years, the Belize Sugar Industries has been hosting Summer Work Programs open to interested students from all over the country. The program has proven to be very successful, with students from various secondary and tertiary institutions sending applications
every year.
The program provides the opportunity for students to continue being productive during their vacations and to gain solid work experience which will benefit them in their future careers. It also assists students to cover part of their expenses for the upcoming school year. This year, fifteen students from various educational institutions formed part of the summer program including students from the University of Belize, University of Technology Jamaica, University of Quintana Roo, Muffles Junior College, the Institute for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ITVET), Orange Walk Technical High School and the Belize High School of Agriculture. Students were placed in different departments of the company in accordance with their academic fields of study ranging from mechanical and electrical engineering, sustainable
resource management, computer science, agriculture and business science. Zaida Flores, Program Organizer and Office Administrator at Belcogen, says that she enjoys organizing and working along with these students since they bring a lot of enthusiasm in the different departments where they work during the summer.
Some students use this opportunity as a requirement of an internship to complete their degrees in different fields of study. At the end of the summer program, students are evaluated based on their performance and an official report is sent back to their institution. Once the program is finished, students go back to their respective homes and educational institutions with a greater knowledge of the professional working environment.