Government moves to align education with future job skills

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Education Minister Dana Morris Dixon says the Government is moving to better align Jamaica’s education and skills-training systems with the changing needs of the economy, while urging the private sector to play a greater role in preparing students for the jobs of the future.

Speaking at a Digital and Skills Roundtable hosted by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and I Am the Code Caribbean at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel on Monday, Morris Dixon said nearly 40 per cent of the skills required in jobs are expected to change by 2030, making it necessary for the education system to become more responsive to industry needs.

“The policy mission of the administration is to build a skills system that is connected directly to economic opportunity,” she said, adding that there is currently a disconnect between the industry and the education system that needs to be addressed.