Education minister highlights alternative career pathways
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dana Morris Dixon, has noted the importance of acknowledging careers in the creative industry as viable alternatives to traditional professions.
The minister was speaking to hundreds of high-school and tertiary students at the fourth Jamaica Creative Career Expo held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston, on Tuesday, February 25.
Morris Dixon, explained that parents often push children into traditional areas of study such as law, medicine and accounting, ignoring the vibrant world in the creative industries.
The education minister stressed that there are lucrative alternatives to these sectors, such as the film and entertainment industries.
“There’s so much you can do in the creative industry. Jamaica is a creative country, and these areas are lucrative areas,” she noted.
Morris Dixon thanked Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, for hosting the expo, which exposed participants to careers in music, film, content creation and other sectors.
“This is what our children need. They need to know that there is a space for them, even if they do not want to do the traditional boring jobs like some of us have done. There is a space for you (students),” she encouraged.
Meanwhile, Morris Dixon said the ministry is doing its part to incorporate modern technologies into the curriculum, so that it can adequately prepare students for the future.
“We’re working in the ministry, for example, to develop AI (artificial intelligence) tools for all of you so that you can use it for mathematics and science. We even have a bot that speaks Patois and understands Patois for whoever does not want to use the standard English. We understand that AI is the way of the future, and we know that we can transform your education using AI,” she explained.
Morris Dixon urged the students to embrace the technology and not limit themselves as they plan for their future.
The 2025 Creative Career Expo was held under the theme ‘Exploring the Digital Space’ and focused on creative enterprises and opportunities in the digital environment.
Areas explored include animation, artificial intelligence (AI), content creation, gaming, robotics and animatronics.
– JIS
