“We have the pleasure of bringing our first international Signature Learning Partner into the Bermuda Public School System family - Koom Consulting, an international water treatment and management consultancy founded by one of Bermuda’s own, Tarik Smith. As part of this Signature Learning Partnership, Koom Consulting will support the STEM Signature at Cedarbridge Academy and the Health & Social Care Signature at the Berkeley Institute,” said the Minister of Education, the Hon Diallo Rabain, JP, MP.
Koom Consulting is an international network focused on research and development, project management, training and capacity building. Their main area of expertise is in water management, with a scope of work that covers projects at a university level, consulting for private corporations and even humanitarian and international development projects.
During the virtual signing ceremony, Tarik Smith shared, “As a Bermudian, even though I’ve been based in Barcelona for the last 20 years, I’ve always tried to keep very close ties with projects and activities going on back home. In recent years, through my affiliation with the Bermuda College as a course lecturer / educator and through the Bermuda Programme at BIOS as a student-mentor, I’ve had the opportunity to get a glimpse of some of the strengths, weaknesses and aspirations of several young Bermudians wanting to pursue careers in different fields of science over the years.
“We could have a scenario in which real-world projects in Bermuda as well as internationally could directly benefit from the hands-on participation of high school students and teachers, while equipping high school graduates with better tools, better skills for the real-world and a much broader, holistic understanding of what science is. That in a nutshell is what excites me the most about this opportunity.”
The Minister added, “As we’ve seen with the Bermuda Zoological Society partnership, these powerful learning experiences that really engage and motivate our learners are really what we’re looking for. And we’re looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Koom Consulting. On behalf of the Bermuda Government, the Ministry of Education, our signature schools The Berkeley Institute and CedarBridge Academy, I want to thank you wholeheartedly for giving us this opportunity.”
Koom Consulting joins the Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS), Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science (BIOS), Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI), BELCO, KPMG in Bermuda and the Association of Bermuda International Companies (ABIC) as having signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) committing their support to the Signature Learning Programs at Cedarbridge Academy and The Berkeley Institute.
Principal Keisha Douglas of The Berkeley Institute stated, “We are very excited to have Koom Consulting as a Learning Partner, in particular for our Health & Social Care Signature. We pride ourselves in the opportunities we offer young people, and especially in science. Our students have found their love and passion for the sciences and we hope to continue to grow this through this partnership. Our teachers can’t wait to incorporate more of the scientific model and real-world projects so that students can obtain requisite scientific processing skills. These skills can be used to improve scientific and environmental literacy. Both locally and globally, we want to be able to make a difference and continue to push our students to be environmental stewards.”
Principal Kenneth Caesar, CedarBridge Academy added, “As we’re winding down our first year of Signature Learning, one thing that I’ve seen, our students have seen, our teachers and the community have seen, is the power of partnerships. We’ve really been able to ignite a new vision for education in Bermuda in which we have professionals coming into the lives of our young people everyday. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing our young people actually have the hands-on experiences of the theory they’re learning in the classroom, and with partners like Koom Consulting, we’re making it a reality. We know that we have to prepare our students to compete not just locally but also globally. And when our students have the opportunity to benefit from an international partnership led by a Bermudian, someone they can relate to, we can look forward to the future of Bermuda.”
More community and industry partners will be committing their expertise to Bermuda’s public school system over the coming months as new Signature Learning Programmes come online. If your organization wants to find out how you can contribute, visit www.learningfirstbda.com/for-partners for more information or call (+1) 441-278-3375.”