A senior Human Resources Specialist says continuous education is a must if the country is to stay abreast of emerging technology.
Advocacy Officer of the Human Resource Management Association, Cindy Wilson, was speaking during a panel discussion addressing the challenges and hurdles in making Port of Spain a smart city.
“That mindset of continuous learning and development is something that we need to instil from young. It can’t wait until you get into the organisation and then realise that change is an everyday part of your growth with an organisation.”
Ms. Wilson was one of three panellists who addressed the future of business in the digital age and the concrete steps that need to be taken.
Vice President of International Advancement at COSTATT, Fayola Nicholas, sharing on the vision of that academic institution, said it is moving into the digital era.
“We are in the process of moving COSTATT to being a cashless campus by June 2025. It is a big ask. Not so much of a big ask in terms of our internal systems but in terms of the public that we serve. Some of them are unbanked. They pay their tuition fees in cash.”
Ms. Nicholas noted that there are challenges and shared how the institution is seeking to address those issues.
“In order for us to be a cashless campus by June 2025, we are now in the process of working with financial institutions to help these unbanked persons become banked. In addition to that, we are working with other financial institutions to help them reach out to individuals who may not be comfortable using the tech.”
Another panellist, President of the Greater Arima Chamber of Commerce, Jonathan Bhagan, highlighted some of the regulatory problems that are preventing the move to the digital age.
“We do not have exactly what I said, a Data Protection Act enforced. And even if it was fully enforced, it is several years behind the standard in Europe, the GDPR. We do not have a proper Cyber Crimes Bill or a Cyber Crimes Unit that functions properly. I actually know a lot of young women that sue the Cyber Crimes Unit for failing to act.”
The theme for Wednesday’s panel discussion was ‘Smart City Chatter—Rebooting the City: Humanity 2.0.’