Citizens and businesses in Jamaica

will benefit from thrust towards digital inclusion and transformation following

the launch of a $60 million pilot programme by Flow Jamaica.

Through the Flow Foundation,

micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) will be provided with

assistance in acquiring training and digital skills in certified programmes.

 The announcement of the Flow Foundation Enabling Progress through Digital Inclusion Pilot

Programme was made by

Stephen Price, chairman of the Flow Foundation and country manager of Flow

Jamaica, during a live stream of the launch today, August 13.

Price said with the onset

of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Jamaicans and MSMEs are at risk of

missing the digital push.

He said, “Digital literacy and empowering our MSMEs are two critical drivers

of enabling progress at both the individual and community levels,

especially during this time.”

What’s more, Price said the Flow Foundation, in partnership with the

Cable & Wireless Charitable Foundation (CWCF), will roll out a national development programme in support of digital education and entrepreneurship across the country.

The programme will be based on digital learning and

support for MSMEs, which will, among other things, see an increased focus on

digital literacy and connectivity, particularly in school; the certification of

professionals in various online courses and offering support to MSMEs and

enterprises at the community level.

Adding her endorsement of the programme, Minister of

Science, Energy and Technology, Fayval Williams, said, “I believe that this

programme is timely as we create the new Jamaica where, access to the internet

is a right, no one gets left behind and government and businesses are fully

digital.”

Williams continued, “The work that you are doing is

integral to our pursuit of a new Jamaica, a society driven and powered by

technology and where every community, student, business, sector is connected.”

The pilot programme will be conducted with the sponsorship of the Cable & Wireless Charitable Foundation and partners, the Caribbean School of Data at the Mona School of Business and One on One Educational Services.

The programme will run for 12 months in the first

instance, woith the possibility of expanding to the wider Caribbean, Price told

BUZZ.

 Interested persons

should follow Flow’s social media pages for updates on the application process.