Digital Skills Needed For Caribbean To Stay Globally Competitive

The digital era is here to stay but many still lack the skills needed to get ahead in the Internet economy.

A 2017 CIGI-Ipsos survey on Internet security and trust found that a significant percentage of Internet users do not trust the Internet enough to conduct financial transactions online. Even among those willing to embrace digital commerce, many face another barrier: digital literacy.

Rhea Yaw Ching, executive director of the US-based Covela Foundation, points out that the problem is more acute in Latin America and in particular the Caribbean, where an increasing number of citizens and businesses are now coming online.

“There is a direct correlation between digital literacy and financial inclusion,” said Yaw Ching, a former telecommunications sector executive.

“Sixty-five per cent of the Caribbean population is unbanked, meaning that they are predominantly cash-based. And a further 20 per cent are underbanked, meaning that they under-utilise the financial services that do exist,” she added.

What makes the Caribbean’s challenge worse is the persistent gap between the formal financial sector and the hundreds of thousands of small or micro-organisations operating in the informal economy with little access to services such as automated payments, credit cards, online banking, mobile apps or even ATMs.

“The informal economy is a key driver of the economics of most Caribbean nations. Unfortunately, the informal economy is still largely characterised by limited access to ICT services, limited access to formal financial services, and, critically, limited digital skills,” Yaw Ching said.

She added that the Caribbean still has a long way to go before it can realise the benefits brought about by the digital era.

“The key to unlocking true innovation lies in equipping citizens with the digital skills most relevant to the region and developing the financial systems and services to allow them to fully capitalize Caribbean ideas and innovations.”

BrightPath Foundation brings TechLink to T&T

Secondary school teachers and students will be immersed in a day of technology gadgets, spacemen and science experiments when the BrightPath TechLink program comes to T&T on September 27. “TechLink combines hands-on technology training with fun-filled creative activity, wrapped into a values-based learning experience that we believe can benefit participant for life,” BrightPath Foundation executive director Bevil Wooding told T&T Guardian. In the all-day event, students will use tablets, micro-computers, drones and robots to conduct special experiments that reinforce basic principles of science, technology, engineering and math. Since TechLink’s launch in Grenada in November 2013, over 400 persons, including educators, small business entrepreneurs, young people and parents in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Saint Lucia, have taken part in the initiative. But for the T&T edition, there is a twist. Capitalising on the interest in space experiments following NorthGate College’s success in the 2014 Cubes In Space experiment design global contest, TechLink Trinidad will focus on a suite of technology-based science experiments, under the theme “exploration: learning, developing, innovating.” “Together with our collaborative partner iDoodleSoftware, we will be hosting NASA astronaut Dr Roger Crouch in Trinidad for the TechLink event,” Wooding said. “The goal is to produce a context in which education is more engaging and interactive. Participants  will be get to be young explorers for the day. They will split into groups to tackle real-world problems and use technology and science to come up with solutions,” he said. Corporate sponsors include regional broadband-provider Columbus Communications and the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago. Rhea Yaw Ching, corporate vice president of sales and marketing at Columbus, said the partnership with BrightPath is part of Columbus’ wider commitment to investing in the communities it serves. “As more affordable high-speed Internet access becomes a reality across the region, Columbus is actively looking for opportunities to help users at every level understand how to make the most of it.” TechLink Trinidad will include an Educators Forum, designed to equip secondary school teachers with know-how and practical tools to use technology in the classroom. “While the students enjoy the chance to go deep into digital content creation, teachers will learn new and better ways to use technology in the nation’s classroom. This is technology meeting the real world. The goal here is to give a real sense of the possibility of technology being applied to Caribbean education," Wooding said. TechLink Trinidad will be held at the Cipriani College of Labour and Cooperative Studies on September 27.