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A challenge for digital inclusivity

It’s a giant brainstorming session with a social mission.

The Ambassador for Cyber Affairs, Dr Tobias Feakin launched the Australia-Solomon Islands Technology for Development Challenge on 27 September 2018. The challenge statement reads, “How might we connect and support young people in the Solomon Islands to maximise their skills and education to access jobs across the country and internationally?”

The Economics of Technology Transfer

The challenges of Industry 4.0 are panacea for all age groups. While the current workforce upgrades their skills, the pipeline of incoming labour needs to posses an equivalent, or if not, a more superior level of skills. Unfortunately, the current education system in the world at large has been inadequate in preparing its students for the future of work.

For countries which already possess a thriving talent pool and deep pockets of financial reserves, the road to industrial transformation is less arduous. Countries like Australia boast a thriving startup scene, has some of the best universities in the world to conduct research and innovation, and sits comfortably on the leader board for technological readiness.

Smaller countries still at development infancy ­are bound to feel the pinch. Without technology transfers through international assistance, they are bound to fall behind.

Interconnectivity in this case is mutually beneficial. In a globalised one trading partner’s inability or unwillingness to upskill and transition could shrink the number of economic markets to venture into and therefore affect the scale of profitability.

The economic theory of technological transfer should not be questioned. The trading partner with a lack of high-skilled labour should accept technological transfers for survival. Once the workforce has developed its capabilities, consumption and R&D follows suit, stimulating national economic growth.

Small’s Big Problems

Solomon Island’s aspirations are exemplary. Driven largely by subsistence and cash crop agriculture, just over a tenth of its population are engaged in the formal economy. This numbers to about 43 500 people, based on 2009 statistics. The Solomon Island’s working population is slightly over 200 000 people.

To cope in a changing world, the Government envisions all Solomon Islanders to develop as individuals and possess the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to earn a living. The desired outcome is fair and equitable opportunities for a better life.

Strides toward embracing a digital future have already been undertaken. In 2017, the Solomon Islands Parliament passed the Solomon Islands Tertiary Education and Skills Authority Act. The Act aims to improve the provision of and access to skills training and improve the contribution that this training makes to local and international labour markets. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development is seeking to increase access to technical and vocational education and training through the secondary school system. In turn, students should be able to access job opportunities and plug current labour market gaps.

Kickstarting sustainable change begins with education. A catchall approach, it ensures citizens are equipped with the most rudimentary of skills needed to function in an economy. This is the most realistic and long-term strategy any government can put forth.

No Man is an Island

Considering Solomon Islands to be a key strategic partner, Australia is committed to bring Solomon Islands to the frontier of Industry 4.0.

Already, the Australian Government is working on the Coral Sea Cable Systems Project. Considered to be a project of great implication, the project will deliver faster, cheaper and more reliable internet to Solomon Islands. Solomon Island is highly dispersed and only 100 000 of its 600 000 citizens have Internet access. Most users reside in urban areas and are reliant on satellite technology. The development assistance will facilitate a digital economy and civic participation. Yet, it will expose the Islanders to malicious cyberattacks.

Adding to the theme of digital inclusivity, the Australian Government is calling for submission of ideas on narrowing the incongruence between skills needed and skills training in the Solomon Islands.

Challenge Accepted

The organisers are looking for ideas which address the Challenge Statement. The solutions should be driven by sustainable technology, with cybersecurity and privacy inherent by design. Solutions must have the ability to be prototyped, tested and refined with a view to scalable roll out in the future. The proposed idea should be new or in the early stages of development and be viable, feasible, and sustainable. Local conditions with the end-user i.e. young Solomon Islanders, must be accounted for.

Anyone with a passion for collaboration, technology which collaborates cybersecurity and privacy concerns, understanding of and is committed to supporting the Solomon Islands’ economic growth and prosperity can participate. Hopeful participants must be a registered entity or willing to formally partner with one.

Submissions are accepted between now till 10 December 2018. Winners of the challenge will receive a grant of up to AUD 250 000 to: access professional mentoring from technology, development and cybersecurity experts over the course of two years; develop a prototype and run a trial in the Solomon Islands; and build a scalable business model which can be pitched to potential investors.

Questions on the challenge may be directed to Tech4Dev@dfat.gov.au

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

PARTNER

CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

PARTNER

Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

PARTNER

HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

PARTNER

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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