The Solomon Islands has capably and effectively made use of new technology in using video conferencing and “zoom” use to communicate at a time when the Covid pandemic has seen travel and conferencing at a standstill.
As broadband usage is set to expand and computer and smart phone usage the “new normal” at home how will technology change the face of the Solomon Islands in the next decade on work, on industry, on health, on education and on the economy?
I don’t have all the answers, but looking firstly at education, using technology in the classroom will help in inspiring children to become creative and innovative. Creativity and innovation will make students successful in their careers and life.
The use of technology in education increases the level of accuracy in educational materials to a higher standard.
New computer programmes and mobile apps are already playing their role to solve daily life problems
Computer technology in education helps to get data and information quickly and provides storage space to download materials, lectures, notes and assignments.
Technology in the future classroom, such as the internet, will help students with gaining knowledge and in decision making.
In the work place, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, resource-efficient sustainable production and robotics will factor into the ways we currently make, manage and mend products and deliver services. The latter two have the potential to create jobs in the architectural and engineering sectors, following high demand for advanced automated production systems.
Advances in mobile and cloud technology allowing remote and instant access are singled out as the most important technological driver of change, enabling the rapid spread of internet-based service models.
It’s worth reflecting on how the Solomon Islands could imagine a changed world like this.
Our future place of work might not be like today, but interconnected workspaces not tied to one place, but many. They will be underpinned by virtual conferencing, complete and constant connection and portability.
Comment
What will be absolutely decisive is how we equip our children, our students and our colleagues to harness the power of technology to transform our world for the better. That means ensuring the ICT skills of school leavers are fit for the future. It means providing incentives for lifelong learning as the pace of technological advancement quickens. And it means reinventing the HR function, equipping it to continually assess and provide for the training needs of employees.
The Solomon Islands must revolutionise the way people live and work and do it in a way that creates new economic opportunities that, even not before been imagined as being possible.
The Solomon Islands will have much work to do but it will be essential to ensure future generations are not left behind in the global digital skills race.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
