Employers at medium and large firms estimate that 47 per cent of their employees lack at least some of the digital skills needed for their jobs, Labour Minister Colin Jordan has said, warning that adult literacy gaps could limit employment opportunities and participation in modern society.
Jordan told a forum on adult learning at The St Michael School on Wednesday that developing a national adult literacy policy is an opportunity to address the challenges facing adult learners and create pathways for personal and professional advancement.
He said: “Barbados has long been proud of its education system. We share a large number, a significant percentage, when we talk about it in terms of literacy. I think it helps us to feel good about ourselves. Tonight really is about facing the reality before us.”
Jordan noted that functional literacy must extend beyond traditional reading, writing and numeracy skills to include digital competencies, which are increasingly necessary for employment, accessing information and using essential services.
Citing findings from an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) assessment, he said only 56 per cent of people aged 15 and over reported proficiency in navigating the internet, while 59 per cent said they were proficient in sending emails. Proficiency in using word-processing software stood at 48 per cent.
He said the findings were particularly concerning given the growing importance of technology in everyday life and the workplace.
Jordan also pointed to a survey of medium and large firms in which employers estimated that 47 per cent of their employees lacked at least some of the digital skills required for their jobs.
“These findings will reinforce why our approach to adult literacy must extend beyond the traditional reading, writing, and numeracy,” he said.
“We must embrace and include digital competencies that are necessary to access information, participate in employment, or, as we say in the labour market, to use essential services and to engage fully in a modern society.”
The findings highlighted the need to provide adults with accessible opportunities to develop new skills throughout their lives, the minister said.
But he cautioned against equating a lack of formal qualifications with an absence of knowledge, intelligence or ability.
“We must never make the mistake of equating a lack of formal certification with a lack of knowledge, a lack of skills, a lack of intelligence, or a lack of capability,” Jordan said, while emphasising that certification should still be encouraged.
He touted the government’s national adult literacy policy, strategy and action plan as an investment in people, including workers seeking advancement, young people looking for another chance and parents wanting to better support their children’s education.
“It is investment in a more productive, inclusive, and resilient Barbados,” he said, adding that a successful strategy must be grounded in the lived experiences of the people it is intended to serve.
Literacy expert Shawntelle Morgan, a consultant on the exercise, said the forum aimed to develop practical solutions tailored to the needs of adult learners in Barbados.
She said: “We understand that there are difficulties, we understand that there are challenges, and we are here to formulate solutions that are homegrown, that are relevant, and that most importantly, will seek to become a watershed moment in Barbadian history when it comes to catering to the needs of adult learners.”
Morgan added that the ultimate objective was to “ensure that adults are able to reach their full potential”.
(SB)
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