To improve data literacy in the Caribbean, Google has partnered with the Caribbean Open Institute to launch Caribbean School of Data. The Caribbean has been classified as is “data-poor” based on the limited access to high-quality data, limited knowledge base and other technological limitations.
This educational initiative with Google is expected to create a comprehensive and sustainable data literacy program for Jamaica, Dominican Republic, St Lucia, Haiti, Guyana, and Puerto Rico.
These countries have been labeled as under-served and open to increased intervention.
The Caribbean School of Data will enable the training of at least 1,500 disadvantaged youth on topics ranging from data literacy to advanced management skills, visualization, integration and data analysis, aligned with the needs of the labour market over a period of two years.
The Caribbean School of Data is expected to build a stronger data culture across the region. It will incorporate a range of data literacy programs targeting private sector enterprises. This includes data management, data integration, and building capacities and competencies.
COI partners, Mona School of Business and Management (MSBM) and The SlashRoots Foundation (SRFDN) attracted grant funding and active support from the Google.org for this initiative at the local level.
SlashRoots is a social impact organization that uses the principles and practices of the digital age to create a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable Caribbean society.
Co-Founder of the Slashroots Foundation and Lecturer in Digital Media at the Caribbean School of Media and Communication at the University of the West Indies – CARIMAC, David Soutar shared that the data schools will give individuals access to information on data analytics and advanced management skills.
Soutar believes that having more data literate individuals can also have an impact on the country’s overall growth and development and that these individuals have the potential to become developers and business owners on the island.
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KHADIJAH THOMAS
