iCreate Using Digital Training to Accelerate Public Education

By Michael Edwards

iCreate Institute, the digital skills training institute which previously launched a multimillion-dollar Digital Awareness training programme to improve digital proficiency for thousands, is looking to the secondary as well as tertiary sectors and also aspiring entrepreneurs.

The company, through its iCreate Institute, has trained and certified over 4,500 individuals to date throughout the Caribbean region and has to date developed over 20 different digital, tech and creative courses, a number which head of digital training Dominic Summers, expects to increase exponentially. “Owing to our partnerships with these world- renowned training institutions we will, in short order, be offering over 1000 courses.”

Head of iCreate Institute, Dominic Summers, said the company was committed to equipping  students with the digital mindset and tools needed to develop and succeed in today’s digital economy. A principal element of this thrust is the development of several partnerships with recognized entities in the field of digital education and training. This includes EdX, an online joint venture between US universities Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), each of global renown. The EdX venture uses open source software platforms that allow for university-level courses in a wide range of disciplines to be offered online.”

The company has also partnered with Code Fellows, a northwestern U.S.-based training institute that operates code-building camps and other software instruction worldwide, the Digital Marketing Institute, billed as the world’s largest digital marketing community, and the Kingston-based University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC), which offers training to thousands of Jamaicans online as well as through its seven physical campuses.

Retirement coach and Board Director of the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons(CCRP), Patricia Reid-Waugh completed the digital awareness course offered by iCreate. “I found the course to be a comprehensive exploration of the business and social applications of the Internet today.”  Reid-Waugh, whose published titles include “Retirement: A New Adventure” says she hopes that future course offerings will feature more local presenters.

“The economy we are living in today requires digital awareness in every field. We can no longer operate without basic digital skills,” Mr. Summers said. “In order to grow and be successful it is imperative that we harness these skills and use them to our advantage.” This imperative, he adds, has been heightened by the persistence of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to digital training, iCreate is building out its Opportunity Ventures division, which is focused on building ventures that are aligned with its digital training and preparation vision. These include the Creative City multi-disciplinary complex as well as media production and advertising enterprises