January 20, 2023
It’s only a few weeks into the new year, yet Jamaica already seems well on its way to making meaningful strides that could see it become a tech hub sooner than expected, said Joseph Boll, Caribbean Employment Services Inc. CEO.
Caribbean Employment Services Inc. is a market-leading digital talent acquisition service that aims to connect the top talent from the Caribbean with hiring managers, HR professionals and decision-makers in companies both within the Caribbean as well as abroad. Further, it aims to provide the region’s jobseekers and those who are already employed with news and resources related to Caribbean labour.
Boll was referring to the recent graduation ceremony held for a cohort of some 40 Jamaicans under the Technology Advancement Programme (TAP), and the subsequent announcement that those graduates have already been extended employment offers. He noted how the next cohort is expected to comprise some 300, nearly eightfold the current amount, if not more, adding that such a feat would mark tremendous progress for efforts to close the skills gap, diversify the economy and help ensure Jamaicans can acquire high-paying, fulfilling jobs.
Jamaica’s progress in this front comes just shortly after Guyana launched a similar training programme for coders in partnership with the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) towards the end of last year. Barbados similarly launched a programme aiming to train and employ hundreds of Barbadians as cybersecurity specialists, in partnership with a Canadian organization.
“These developments bring Jamaica, and indeed the Caribbean, that much closer to becoming recognized as a tech hub,” said Boll. “Tourism probably won’t ever take a back seat, but Caribbean countries have a lot to gain by also embracing emerging industries like technology, where the potential to tackle several economic challenges at once is great.”
The CEO acknowledged that this programme has been in the works for some time before bearing the current fruits. However, he nonetheless lauded the tremendous success gained thus far, expressing his optimism that continued progress will bode well for the nation’s economy.
“It was only a few months ago, back in November, that Minister [Audley] Shaw spoke of an ambitious goal to have 70,000 digital services jobs by 2025,” Boll reflected. “At the time, that number seemed almost outrageous. But if this progress keeps up, and each new cohort of graduates and hirees just keeps getting bigger, those figures may in fact be realized.”