The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) is encouraging financial literacy amongst Tobago’s secondary school students through its sponsorship of the competition - WizdomCRM Inter-regional Sustainable Stock Market Game. The game, which is powered by AI (artificial intelligence) technology, supports learning that aligns with the CSEC and CAPE syllabi. NGC came on board in Cycle 7 to provide an opportunity for 300 students from Bishops High School Tobago, Scarborough Secondary School, and Signal Hill Secondary to develop real- time and real-life skills in financial investment.
Cycle 7 of the competition, which ran from April – June 2024, represents the first time the Sustainable Stock Market Game moved beyond Trinidad and Tobago, to include student competitors from Guyana. The healthy inter-regional rivalry allowed the students to employ strategic thinking and risk management skills to outperform benchmarks like the S&P 500, while vying for a grand prize of TTD $10,000 and the coveted regional title. At the end of the game, Alloy Sammy of Bishops High School Tobago, emerged victorious.
Each student received a virtual portfolio of USD $25,000, enabling them to learn how to budget, save, and invest in companies on the gaming platform that mirrors the Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and US stock exchanges. This initiative approved by the Ministries of Education in the region also supports the UN Sustainability Development Goal 4, Quality Education for all.
At the Cycle 7 awards ceremony held on July 9th 2024, NGC Director Joel Jack commented: “We saw this initiative as an innovative and engaging approach to building financial literacy among students, teaching them how to manage money, and reinforcing key curricular concepts. Moreover, we saw the opportunity to introduce students to more than just the workings of the stock market. Through this platform, they would learn to assess risk, to think strategically, to make research-based decisions. These are all important skills that can be applied to any career these students choose to pursue, and can also serve them more generally in life. They are certainly skills that society will demand of future leaders and nation-builders.”
"The Sustainable Stock Market Game fosters an understanding of the Caricom Capital Markets by utilising Natural Language Processing and generative AI," said Charielle Plowden, Country Manager of WizdomCRM Caribbean Limited. "We aim to empower students to take control of their financial futures and bring inter-regional closeness through healthy competition. By learning about the markets across the region, students develop a sense of unity and shared purpose, preparing them to be informed and responsible investors through advanced AI technology."
The participating students have shown impressive trade activity resulting in 4,925 trades closed and 3,295 profitable trades. By providing students with the tools and knowledge to navigate the complex world of finance, this initiative is creating a new generation of leaders, problem solvers, and innovators. This transformative experience is particularly impactful for students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, offering them a pathway to break cycles of poverty and build a brighter future for themselves and their communities.