For weeks this summer, 35 young Barbadians have gained unprecedented, behind-the-scenes access to the complex operations that keep their nation’s electricity grid running smoothly. This opportunity comes via the annual summer internship program launched by The Barbados Light & Power Company Ltd. (BLPC), which has given these young learners the chance to swap traditional classroom lectures for hands-on placements in operational control rooms, exchange textbook theory for real on-the-job training, and turn abstract curiosity about the energy sector into concrete, practical insights. Working side-by-side with seasoned BLPC teams that deliver power to residential homes, commercial businesses and local communities across the entire island, participants have gained unmatched exposure to the daily work of energy provision.
For years, this internship initiative has drawn consistent, strong interest from Barbadian youth who are eager to explore accessible career pathways in the energy industry, build in-demand practical skills, and learn directly from veteran industry professionals. Reflecting on his own early career experience to motivate the current cohort, Munesh Parasram, BLPC’s Vice President of Innovation & Transformation, emphasized the transformative power of hands-on internships. “An internship helped me discover my professional path and showed me what opportunities were actually possible in this sector,” he explained. “We’re proud to provide that same life-changing opportunity for the next generation of Barbadian energy professionals.”
Throughout the program, participants have not only toured major BLPC generating facilities but also gotten a first-hand look at how the island’s transition to renewable energy is reshaping its long-term energy future. For many, the hands-on site visits have been the most memorable part of the experience: tours of the Spring Garden and Trents Generating Stations also included deep dives into the company’s utility-scale solar farm and its high-profile Clean Energy Bridge initiative. Sebastian Paul, a mechanical maintenance intern, called the entire experience “eye-opening,” noting that it has significantly strengthened his grasp of core technical concepts that he had only studied in school. For fellow participant Zane King, the internship gave him a newfound appreciation for the integrated nature of BLPC’s energy network, showing how traditional generating stations, the utility’s solar farm and modern battery storage systems work in tandem to deliver consistent power to customers across Barbados.
As the program wraps up its 2024 cohort, BLPC’s investment in youth talent development is laying the groundwork for Barbados’ energy future. By nurturing new skilled workers, fostering innovative ideas and building a pipeline of local expertise, the utility is not only investing in individual young people – it is investing in the long-term reliability and sustainability of the island’s power grid for decades to come.