Trinomics, in collaboration with TNO’s Caribbean Branch Office (lead) and Arizona State University, has been awarded a major contract by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to provide a detailed assessment of the technical and professional capacity for sustainable energy and ICT in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica.

There is an increasing need for energy in the Caribbean and it is likely that in the future the energy mix will be more diversified, including more renewable energies. Considering this context, there will likely be increased demand for a trained and skilled workforce capable of designing, operating and maintaining, among others, these energy systems and supporting ICT. The IDB along with a number of private sector partners has launched the BRIDGE program (‘Building capacity and Regional Integration for the Development of a Generation Entrepreneurs’) in order to bridge the gap between the available workforce for Sustainable Energy and ICT and the expected demand that is likely to arise in the future, while enhancing gender equality and fostering entrepreneurship and innovation. The main objective is to develop human capital to meet the expected demand for manpower in the Sustainable Energy & ICT sectors.

The project team will collect and draw upon available information from previous analysis (i.e. CARICOM) and conduct further research to construct an up-to-date baseline analysis of the technical and professional capacity for sustainable energy and ICT. Via a capacity building program with regional education centers, the team will aim to foster entrepreneurship and to develop a trained and skilled workforce as required.

If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to contact Jeroen van der Laan.