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Press Release – Power Up Competition 2025
Young Innovators Take the Stage at CARIRI’s 2025 Innovation Nation Finals
Date & Venue:
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Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, YARA Auditorium
The Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI), in partnership with Republic Bank Limited (RBL) under its Power to Make a Difference Programme (PMAD), bmobile, Guardian Media Limited – Freedom 106.5, and Methanex, hosted the finals of the 2025 Innovation Nation Training Programme Competition on Friday 24th October, 2025, at the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, YARA Auditorium, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
“The world doesn’t just need more engineers or coders or entrepreneurs. It needs people with heart. People who innovate not for recognition, but for impact. People who use their skills to lift others up, to protect our planet, and to inspire hope.”
— Mr. Hans-Erich Schulz, CEO, CARIRI
Since 2018, CARIRI’s ICT educational initiatives have empowered more than 14,000 students across Trinidad and Tobago, nurturing curiosity, problem-solving, and creativity through technology and innovation. The Innovation Nation Training Programme continues this tradition by providing students aged 10 to 18 years with an opportunity to explore real-world challenges and propose innovative, technology-driven solutions.
This year’s competition invited students to identify and tackle pressing national issues—from environmental sustainability and community well-being to economic and social development. After an initial round of digital submissions, ten finalists were selected to advance to the final pitch round, where they showcased their “pretotypes” and presented their ideas before a distinguished panel of judges including Mrs. Carla Kelshall (Senior Manager, Republic Bank Limited), Mr. Charles Bobb-Semple (Deputy CEO, iGovTT), Mrs. Anjanie Ramesar-Soom (Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility Specialist, bmobile), Mr. Ryan Bachoo (Senior Editor, CNC3 Television), and Ms. Francesca Dwarika (Infectious Technologies and iViral Digital Marketing).
These finalists were evaluated on their problem identification, innovation, application of ICT concepts, and business or social impact potential. The ten participants won a combined total of $30,000 in the form of Republic Bank accounts, underscoring the sponsors’ shared commitment to financial literacy, youth empowerment, and national development.
Winners
- 1st Place: Kylon Thomas, Malick Secondary — SteelpanLife
- 2nd Place: Adam Ali, Hillview College — Pollinator 868
- 3rd Place: Josiah Murray, Trinity College East — TriniFusion-Virtual
- 4th Place: Keyondre Oliver, Trinity College East — IoT Caregiver Kit
- 5th Place: Jewell James, Bishop Anstey High School East — Smart Bins & Energy from Waste
- 6th Place: Jayvaughn Bigford, Waterloo Secondary — Waste Material and Impact on Environment and Society
- 7th Place: Jessica Balroop, Rio Claro West Secondary — Ecosphere System
- 8th Place: Micah Manswell, Trinity College East — Smart Air Monitor
- 9th Place: Jonathon Lewis, Tunapuna Secondary — Planet Heroes
- 10th Place: Kyron Solomon, Trinity College East — SafeZone
CARIRI is proud to support the next generation of innovators shaping a smarter, more sustainable Caribbean. – Freedin
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News Release 2021
Virtual Youth Innovation Training
The Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) and Republic Bank Limited (RBL) under its Power to Make a Difference programme have launched a new and exciting free education programme for the students of the nation called Virtual Youth Innovation Training.
CARIRI and RBL have partnered to continue to educate our nation’s youths virtually in a time of a global pandemic on the fundamentals of Coding and Mobile App Development. This programme is designed to provide young people with a modular introduction to coding using
the principles of mobile app and game development. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, it introduces the Computer Science field, the fundamentals of coding and the careers which can
be pursued.
This programme, which is free to participants, will engage 600 youths in schools from across
Trinidad and Tobago via online training to be able to understand coding and its importance in
creating and building various applications, some levels also include the steps that it takes to
generate and commercialize an app.
CARIRI and RBL both understand that coding is a vital skill to have especially as we move rapidly
into a global community that has embraced the 4th Industrial Revolution. One of the key
benefits of learning coding is that it gives students both the tools and the idea that there are
many ways to solve a problem, whilst at the same time sparking curiosity, encouraging
teamwork and enabling communication. Coding also requires students to think outside of the
box, thereby honing their creative skills. Solving difficult problems require creative solutions, a
highly sought-after skill which is often difficult to teach in more traditional classroom subjects.
