An Education Needs Assessment of CARIFORUM Firms

Anticipated future skills needs within the next 2-3 years varied significantly among surveyed

businesses. Some of the most popular responses were Accounting and Finance, Business

Development, Communication, Compliance with International Certifications/Standards,

Creativity, Customer Service, Digital Literacy, Digital Marketing, Digital Technologies, E

commerce, Export Development, Global Networking, Human Resources, Logistics, Management,

Marketing, Negotiation, Packing & Labelling, Project Management, Strategic Planning, and Time

Management. Contrary to the anticipated future of work needs outlined in the desk research, many

of the needs identified by respondents appear to be in areas less technologically advanced than

artificial intelligence and automation, blockchain, big data analytics, etc.

2.2.2. Results from Consultations with Relevant Stakeholders

The project team engaged in national stakeholder meetings with 9 in-country BSO organisations

over a 3-week period. The BSOs included representatives from Private Sector Associations, Small

Business Associations, Investment Promotion/Investment Development Corporations, Chambers

of Commerce, Coalition of Service Industries, Export Agencies, Government ministries working

on entrepreneurship, innovation, or commerce.

All the BSOs expressed approval of the work done by the Caribbean Export to build capacity

within their local private sector. They expressed approval of Caribbean Export partnerships and

training programmes since the start of the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic. During the stakeholder

meetings with the representatives from Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Belize as well

as the Bahamas, the researcher was notified of previous national efforts to complete several Needs

Assessments related to local businesses.

In consultation with regional educational stakeholders, it was highlighted that the private sector

frequently subscribes to training in the areas of Investment, Enterprise Risk Management, Personal

Finance, Wealth Management/Building as well as Project Management. A key point made during

the regional stakeholder consultations involved “the need to clearly identify the regional tr aining

needs with the region’s future trajectory inclusive of the United Nations Sustainable Development

Goals (UN SDGs) and national priorities.” One regional stakeholder suggested the need to have

subject matter experts/specialist training available in the areas of Healthcare, Manufacturing,

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