Devon Evans, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Roger Richards (centre), senior vice-president, Internet and voice services at Cable and Wireless Jamaica (CWJ), gives Yohan Blake (right) of St. Jago High School and Salcia Slack of Holmwood Technical an orientation to the features of the new laptop computers they were awarded by the company for being the most outstanding male and female athletes at this year's Boys' and Girls' Athletic Championships. With technology quickly becoming an important entity in many areas of today's society, it is very important for Jamaicans to learn how to effectively apply the use of different technology and also maximise its full potential. - Contributed

OCHO RIOS, St. Ann:

President of the Jamaica Computer Society (JCS), Nigel Henry, has challenged Jamaicans to seek ways in which the country can capitalise on the many benefits to be derived from the effective application of technology.

He is also urging local information and communication technology (ICT) professionals to partner with colleagues throughout the Caribbean and capitalise on the numerous opportunities now opening up across the globe.

Henry issued the challenge on Friday while speaking during the opening session of the Jamaica Computer Society BIZTECH 2007 Forum at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort in Ocho Rios.

"I am saying that our success could very well be tied to a regional initiative because our attempts to compete internationally against developed countries is always going to run up against significant challenges because they are so far ahead of us," he stated.

Henry said he believed that if Jamaica collaborated with other Caribbean countries, the region would be able to reap the benefits that would allow it to compete with developed countries.

"We have the skills, and great opportunities exist for us to maximise returns in applying those skills" he said.

Of critical importance

The JCS president said that he would like the region to be known as the centre for information technology excellence, but that this would depend solely on the quality of the ICT knowledge pool. He said the need to access the availability of a qualified ICT talent pool was of critical importance in order to be able to reap success.

Henry pointed to the need to conduct research throughout the region in order to better understand existing ICT skills and knowledge requirements in the labour force. "It might well be that we have to establish a partnership representing three distinct constituencies - academia, industry and commerce - and government in order to develop a sustainable mechanism for ensuring the continuance of a qualified ICT labour force," he stated.

The JCS president urged the gathering to see BIZTECH 2007 as a forum for bringing Caribbean and Latin American players together, a forum in which the people could interconnect for a total win-win situation and create a vibrant regional ICT hub.