Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams is urging Jamaicans to enhance their digital literacy, which she says could increase their career opportunities and chance for success.

Speaking on Sunday at the Emmanuel Apostolic Church Headquarters in a service to mark the start of National Career Awareness Week, Williams noted that the focus is on motivating individuals to develop digital skills for success in a more modern job market.

“In today’s digital age the importance of digital literacy cannot be overstated and the job market demands individuals who are not only well versed in traditional subjects but also proficient in the digital realm. Digital literacy has emerged as a key factor in career success, influencing job opportunities, salaries, and overall workplace productivity,” said Williams.

Williams noted that the National Career Awareness Week is aimed at providing every Jamaican with information on the wide range of career choices and training programmes available to enable wise career decision-making. The week’s activities will also focus on promoting awareness of diverse careers and the latest development in global business and trade.

“Our schools, from primary to secondary level, will showcase creative exhibits highlighting careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. Through these exhibits students and teachers will engage parents, communities, and stakeholders in the exploration of various career paths,” said Williams as she pointed to the difference between having a job and building a career.

She urged Jamaicans to assess their employment status and emphasised the importance of acquiring the necessary training to build a career rather than merely holding a job.

“A lot of people talk about jobs but a job is a post of employment while a career is an occupation…one that has special training,” added Williams.

In the meantime, managing director of the HEART/NSTA Trust, Dr Taneisha Ingleton, echoed the minister’s call and warned that more jobs are becoming automated as she urged more Jamaicans to acquire digital skills to adapt to the digitally focused work environment.

“Forty-seven per cent of those employed with all these professions that you are seeing these days might be automated by 2034. So if it is that what we are doing is not undergirded by technology, we are going to have challenges,” said Dr Ingleton.

She pointed out that the HEART/NSTA trust is prioritising the training of individuals to actively participate in emerging technologies, aiming to help graduates foster the skills needed to cope with technological advancements.

“We are focusing on the new technologies and we are looking at areas such as robotics and mechatronics…we are also focusing on geomatics and geospatial technology, ensuring that our young people will have jobs when they leave school,” said Dr Ingleton.