Preparing Haitian youth for digital jobs
Haiti is currently the poorest country in the western hemisphere, with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% living in abject poverty. Unemployment, at 40%, is the highest in the region, and the 2010 earthquake further inflicted $7.8 billion in damage, causing the country's gross domestic product to contract.
New job opportunities in the digital economy could contribute to new livelihoods, particularly for a large youth demographic. One example is online outsourcing, which involves the contracting of third-party workers (often overseas) to supply services or perform tasks via Internet-based marketplaces or platforms. Similarly, online freelancing platforms allow clients to contract professional services to distributed third-party workers in areas such as graphic design, web development, and technical report writing. There are large potential gains for women in this type of work through flexible hours and the ability to work remotely.
As the world goes increasingly online, job opportunities related to these services will continue to grow. For countries like Haiti, the digital economy could offer new employment prospects that aren’t constrained by a limited local job market. But the country will need to surmount important challenges if it is to seize these opportunities. Wages and labour regulation, especially for online outsourcing, are often problematic and the required skills and infrastructure are scarce.
This project aims to create the enabling conditions for young Haitians to find employment in the digital economy. It will design, pilot, and evaluate locally adapted online courses to enhance the technical skills of young Haitians; develop platforms for young Haitians to be matched with companies working in the digital economy, particularly those owned by the Haitian diaspora; and perfect the skills of telecommunications engineers in Haiti. Efforts will also be made to use this project to attract further investments in Haiti’s telecommunications infrastructure. As a result of the project, a set of courses, trained teachers, and business strategies will be developed to ensure a greater number of people will be trained and potentially employed in the digital economy.
Project ID
108360
Project Status
Completed
End Date
Duration
30 months
IDRC Officer
Ben Petrazzini
Total Funding
CA$ 1,147,000.00
Location
Haiti
Programs
Networked Economies
Networked Economies
Institution Country
Uruguay
Project Leader
Laura Kaplan
Institution
Registro de Direcciones de Internet para América Latina y Caribe (LACNIC)
Institution Website
Institution Country
Jamaica
Project Leader
Maurice McNaughton
Institution
University of the West Indies JM - DO NOT USE ACCOUNT FOR NEW GRANTS
Institution Website
Outputs
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Ayitic goes global : pedagogical strategy Report
The Ayitic project encourages women's involvement in technology, and promotes the development of employment opportunities in Haiti in digital markets. The proposed pedagogical framework includes: student acquisition and engagement; skills building; context-based vocabularies and literacy; technology usage and online learning. Overall social and economic conditions are dire for both men and women in Haiti, with more than 59% living below the poverty line. Women are particularly disadvantaged as they suffer from higher levels of unemployment, lower educational levels, poorer overall living conditions and greater vulnerability to exploitation. This paper provides a detailed overview of the pedagogical strategy and curriculum. Author(s): The SlashRoots Foundation Language: English |
Ayitic goes global : evaluation report for training round 1 Evaluation
The first cohort was comprised of fifty ICT professionals enrolled in the Network Management and Security course and fifty girls enrolled in the Internet and Data practitioner course. This evaluation includes data collection activities at the start of the training, mid-point, and end of training, with information drawn from trainees, trainers, and program partners. Ayitic Goes Global Program is a two-year partnership with the Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Centre (LACNIC), International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ecole Supérieure D’Infootronique d’Haiti (ESIH), Caribbean Open Institute (COI), 3x3 Design and the Slashroots Foundations. The program aims to enhance Haitian participation in the global economy. Author(s): 3x3 Design Language: English |
Ayitic goes global : evaluation report for training round 2 Evaluation
The training rounds 1 and 2 (2018, 2019) focused on Internet and Data Practitioner (IDP) for high school and university graduate females, and Network Management and Security (NM&S) courses for ICT professionals. The report analyzes and evaluates factors that affect successful completion of the program by participants, and monitors the performance of different implementation stakeholders, towards recommendations for training round 3. Detailed programmatic recommendations are built upon the main findings, to support successful elements of the program while making refinements to those that require improvement. Author(s): 3x3 Design, Jain, Priyanka Language: English |
Digital jobs in Haiti : demand opportunities Report
A pilot initiative of the Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Centre (LACNIC), the project seeks to create enabling conditions for young Haitians to find employment in the digital economy by addressing skills and infrastructure deficits. The demand study identifies opportunities for greater fluidity in digital data markets between Haiti and abroad, focussing on remote work to enable greater participation in the global digital economy as well as fostering inclusive growth. This is an in-depth report that includes a literature review, project methodology, and analysis in advance of various competency areas and barriers to participation, prior to project implementation. Author(s): Jain, Priyanka, Marini, Megan, 3x3 Design Language: English |
Ayitic goes global : empowering women through digital markets Report
The project tested whether mitigating skills deficits and connectivity infrastructure is enough to enable young Haitian women from disadvantaged backgrounds to access jobs online. This detailed report highlights final conclusions and findings, including gender impacts. The main outcome has been Google’s support towards scaling up the courses that have been developed in this project. A USD $500,000 grant from Google will help implement training for 1,500 young people (40% women) in seven to nine countries in Central America and the Caribbean region. The program is being developed using the results from Ayitic to meet barriers and gaps early on. Author(s): LACNIC - The Internet Addresses Registry for Latin America and Caribbean Language: English |
Overall assessment report : Ayitic goes global program Evaluation
The report provides a detailed analysis of skills training, student profiles, cultural and infrastructural barriers, and curriculum design. This two-year program enhanced participation among young Haitian women in the global digital economy. The goal was to create enabling conditions for youth to gain employment by addressing skills and infrastructure deficits in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This report provides an overall assessment of the program and includes an analysis of data collected from all three training rounds. A key tactic for trainees was identifying multiple sources of electricity and internet connectivity across their workplace and university settings to mitigate inconsistent access. Author(s): 3x3 Design Language: English |
Rapport de recherche offre en Haiti : competences & formations du secteur TIC Rapports
Author(s): Language: French |