Tertiary education minister: Skilled workers still in demand

WHILE billions are being invested in artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure, the big demand is for skilled workers to maintain the infrastructure.

In making the point, Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training Prof Prakash Persad underscored the importance of not discarding old skills when new ones come on stream.

"While artificial intelligence is transforming global industries, the world’s massive investment in data centres, more than US$50 billion in the United States alone, has created an even greater demand for skilled trades.

“The big demand is for plumbers, electricians, carpenters.” He emphasised. “Without the technicians who put up the buildings and maintain the computers, there could be no AI. New skills must not replace the old ones; they must coexist.”

He urged citizens to value all forms of honest, legal work, reminding young people that every profession contributing to digital infrastructure is “honourable and essential.”

Persad was the keynote speaker as the Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme (YTEPP) Ltd rolled out its newly refurbished Mobile Computer Training Unit — dubbed the ICT Bus — in a national effort to expand digital literacy and bring technology-based training directly to underserved communities.

The initiative was officially launched on December 5 at the Marabella North Secondary School, marking what leaders described as a renewed national commitment to equitable skills development.

Persad framed the ICT Bus as a symbol of inclusion, mobility, and national readiness for a rapidly evolving digital economy.

“This marks more than the relaunch of a programme,” he told the audience. “It marks the renewal of a promise—a promise to take education to the people, especially those who need it most.”

Persad stressed that digital literacy is now a prerequisite for national competitiveness, shaping everything from the growth of micro-enterprises and creative industries to the attractiveness of TT’s investment climate. Yet, he warned, the benefits of digital transformation cannot be realised if entire communities remain disconnected from the tools and skills needed to participate.

“A competitive TT is one where every citizen, regardless of geography, income, background or even height,” he added with humour referring himself in this instance, “has the ability to navigate and thrive in the digital economy.”

YTEPP’s chairman Dr Maurice Jones highlighted the organisation’s long-standing mission to meet communities where they are. He described the refurbished ICT Bus as “more than the unveiling of a vehicle; it is hope, opportunity, and proof that no citizen should be left behind."

“This bus will not sit in a garage waiting to be visited. It will travel. It will roll into communities where the need for accessible digital training is real and urgent.”

Equipped with computers, internet access, and learning software, the mobile unit will offer digital literacy, mobile app development, web design, AI workflow training, CAD, and graphic design. It will serve youth, adults seeking retraining, and community organizations.

Claxton Bay MP and the ministry' parliamentary secretary Hansen Narinesingh described the ICT Bus as a “strategic developmental asset” for his constituency and a national tool for workforce modernisation.

“I am particularly gratified by the deliberate choice of our community as the inaugural site. This decision directly supports our goal of equipping every citizen, especially our youth and displaced workers, with the competencies needed for a changing global economy."

Fresh from a Commonwealth parliamentary conference in Malaysia on responsible AI, Narinesingh advanced that countries must urgently invest in AI literacy and digital competencies to remain competitive.

“The recalibration of our national workforce is not optional; it is an economic imperative,” he said, urging the pioneering student cohort to take full advantage of the programme.

Persad and Narinesingh were led on a guided tour of the mobile training unit, where students will cultivate skills designed to give them an advantage on the labour market that is increasingly prioritising adaptability, analytical acuity and digital fluency.

Across all three addresses, one message was clear: as TT pushes toward a knowledge-driven future, no community, no worker, and no learner should be left behind.