The Tribune

By Roderick A. Simms II

Advocate for sustainable Family Island growth and development

E-mail: RASII@ME.com

In an address to the nation on COVID-19, the Prime Minister said: “Innovation and trying new things are an essential part of what we must do at this time.” This statement was followed by Dr Hubert Minnis encouraging Bahamians to continue creating more online food delivery and pick-up options in an effort to keep the domestic economy functioning. His remarks may have been a small plea to embrace the use/creation of digital platforms, but it should highlight the greater need to develop these skills in a changing labour market. The World Economic Forum pointed out in 2016 that we stand on the “brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and relate to one another”. This means it is important for The Bahamas to close the digital skills gap for both employers and employees, and determine how technology can be implemented through the National Development Plan (NDP).

Digitally Competency: Are we there yet?

Digital competency is rooted in skills that use and engage technologies for learning, working and participating in society in a responsible, confident and critical manner, according to the European Commission (EC). Unfortunately, young people are not receiving the digital skills they need before leaving high school, putting them at a disadvantage when entering today’s labour market. Almost 90 percent of all jobs require some form of digital skills, including farming and small shop owners, the EUN Academy notes. As a result, youth unemployment is increasingly high, particularly in small island developing states (SIDS) such as The Bahamas. Many argue there are not a lot of jobs in the technology field, or that the infrastructure is unreliable and access costly.

While these points have some validity, it is not entirely true. For instance, having digital skills allows for the launch of new start-ups or innovative solutions that can improve current business operations. In addition, about 90 percent of persons living in The Bahamas have access to the internet, which means that infrastructure is working and we are digital. Therefore, the focus needs to shift from just infrastructure and access to developing digital skills. The job market today requires critical thinkers, innovators and solution-oriented individuals. This means that in order for The Bahamas to remain competitive in regional and international markets, it has to do more to improve digital skills among its current and incoming workforce. The European Union (EU’s) digital competency framework has five groups of digital skills: Information and data literacy; communication and collaboration; digital content creation; safety; and problem solving. This is a framework that can be adopted when considering the future of education within the National Development Plan (NDP).

Can a machine take my job?

In case you had not heard by now, there is a lot of speculation on “robots” taking over jobs. These “robots” are either a new and improved machine learning technology, artificial intelligence or app development. Taking a rationale view, the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Digital Skills (2019) report states human and computing capacity can be deployed in partnership for driving social impact. “Technological advancement will not occur at the expense of human capacity, but will help augment human capacity,” it said.

As more industries continue to digitise, different skills are needed. This includes the financial services sector, insurance sector, aviation and maritime, agriculture, law enforcement and tourism in The Bahamas. Competition is stiff in many of these industries but there is still a “tech talent gap”, a post from Silicon Caribe points out. It is true that many processes and operations are now digital and do not require human input. This highlights the need to shift the education system to a more technical and vocational range of subjects. A technology-driven labour force requires more skills in programming and web development, mobile application development, digital marketing, cybersecurity, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain. Therefore, the issue of being replaced by a machine should not take precedence over the fact that different skills are now needed to work in this digital era.

A New Reality

The new reality is that if you keep doing the same thing, you will get left behind. In the Caribbean, more countries are taking on the task of preparing their youth and workforce to keep up with the IT (information technology) and digital skills needed. Saint Lucia rolled out a series of training workshops intended to strengthen its information and communications technology (ICT) sector. Jamaica has announced plans to increase the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in its education sector in an effort to “bridge the digital divide and enhance knowledge”. More countries are also adopting different curriculums that focus on programming, applied mathematics and basic data analytics. However, it should be noted that while governments in the Caribbean are taking measures to be more technology-drive, they are also faced with a “brain drain” problem. There are talented students that study STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and related fields abroad and do not return back to their home country. As a result, governments might be deterred from investing in their youth because of the fear that they might leave and yield no returns from their investment, according to the ITU Digital Skills Report (2019). “In addition, the costs of financing these innovative methodologies are high. Consequently, the government might have to reduce budgetary allocations for key sectors to allow for the expense of the new initiatives, and this may be unpopular for the masses,” the report added.

“Finally, there is also a time lag between the acquisition of these skills and their visible implementation - and impact - in the economy.” This problem will require strengthened collaboration between private and public sector industries to build confidence and provide incentives for persons interested in technology fields. This framework should then be implemented into the National Development Plan.

Conclusion

In closing, the government must invest in reformed education programmes, innovation hubs and make access to digital tools either free or less costly for those disadvantaged. A continued brain drain will have negative spillover effects for the economy, and more expatriates will be required to fill positions that require digital skills. There is still time to reform the ICT sector in The Bahamas, but it will require a motivated and informed workforce to do so. Therefore, the Government will need to step in to prepare Bahamians for the fourth revolution.

Read NDP @ www.vision2040bahamas.org