The start of Jamaica’s 15th Population Census is just a few weeks away and the use of digital applications to capture the country’s developmental data will be a key feature of the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN).

Digital applications and processes are central to data collection in today’s world as it increases accuracy and efficiency. When STATIN begins the Population and Housing Census on September 12, amongst its operational team will be six graduates from Skills for the Future, the digital literacy programme funded by the Flow Foundation and administered in collaboration with the Caribbean School of Data (CSOD) at the Mona School of Business and Management at the University of the West Indies.

The graduates are interning at STATIN as Technical Support Officers (TSO), an internship which was enabled by their completion of the Skills for the Future programme. The Population and Housing Census is significant as it provides the Government and private sector with statistical insight that informs decision making and the interns said they are proud knowing they are contributing to this process.

“It is great being part of this project as it is very important to be able to contribute to nation-building and the census will give us great insights into changes in the population of Jamaica,” said Jermaine Hinds, one of the graduates interning at STATIN. “It is also used as an appropriate tool to determine what infrastructural improvement is required to adequately serve the population and what areas these infrastructures are needed to help Jamaica move from a developing nation to a developed nation.”

Hinds added that competencies developed in the Skills for the Future programme will be directly employed during his internship. As a TSO, Hinds and the other interns will provide ongoing hardware and software support; assembling, installing and configuring computer equipment, as well as software; documenting end-user identification information; and updating inventory database.

“The programme taught me many skills which I am able to use in the census project – skills such as properly navigating Google Classroom, which is used as an important means to train individuals from various parts of the island for census taking,” Hinds shared. “Having knowledge of this Google app allows me to be able to guide individuals virtually to resolve any issues they might face while using the software.”

Cherika Wilson, Skills for the Future mentorship programme coordinator, pointed out that the interns would have benefited directly from two courses in their current role with STATIN: Foundations of Being Digital and Productivity Tools for Digital Workers. These courses helped establish a solid digital literacy foundation and STATIN’s Director General, Carol Coy, noted that the institute was happy to have new and qualified talent on the census project team.

“As Jamaica’s primary provider of official statistics, STATIN is always looking for talent with the requisite skills to contribute to our mission of providing relevant and accurate statistical information. The 2022 Population and Housing census is a key deliverable for STATIN and we are happy to welcome the interns from the Skills for the Future programme who are working with us on this very important national project,” noted Coy.

For Hinds, this is just the start of an ambitious career path, which he says leads to becoming a Chief Financial Officer for a multi-national company in the banking and finance sector. He’s confident he’s on the right path and that the digital skills acquired through the Skills for the Future programme will serve his long-term goals.

“The skills I have learnt will always be important for my future career as the world continues to rapidly change to a digital society and this course has allowed me to improve my digital skills with various tools that I use daily,” said Hinds.