Digital shift ‘risky but necessary’, Youth Parliament told

Youth parliamentarians Shonté Morris and Kashon Brewster have described Barbados’s digital transformation as risky but necessary, with Morris warning that employers expect 39 per cent of skills to become outdated and calling for changes to how young people are prepared for the world of work. The issue was raised on Thursday during the Barbados National Youth Parliament debate on digital transformation, held as part of National Youth Week under the subtheme Youth Today, Leaders Tomorrow! Morris, acting leader of government business, said technology was already changing the way the economy operates and that education must keep pace. She said: “Technology is changing how this economy works. ” The country could no longer afford to leave its classrooms unchanged while artificial intelligence, digital business, data and cybersecurity continued to reshape employment, she added.

“If the world of work is changing, then why should the way we prepare our young people remain unchanged? ” Morris supported a digital-first education reform which would introduce digital literacy, coding, artificial intelligence ethics and digital citizenship from the primary level, with lessons progressing as students grow. This approach would not simply involve giving children devices, she insisted. “We are not saying just throw the laptop in front of the child, and the problem is resolved. No, we are saying we have to change the way in which we teach. ” She cited the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 , saying employers expect 39 per cent of skills to become outdated and transformed by 2030, a figure she described as “alarming”. The youth parliamentarian also argued that Barbados should prepare young people to take advantage of opportunities outside the island through greater regional…