Voices Magazine-Vol3-Issue-6-WEB

VOICES Bi-Monthly Magazine of the University of Technology, Jamaica | September - December 2020 20 A s part of the observance of National Parents’ Month, the Cynthia Shako Early Childhood Education and Day Care Centre, a unit of the College of Health Sciences (COHS) on November 28, 2020 hosted an impactful virtual parenting seminar. Ms. Melisa Porter, Day Care Supervisor, explained that the seminar was geared toward providing support for parents in light of the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to disruptions in the “psychosocial, emotional and mental spaces of our parents” and underscored that “parents are the foundational pillars of society” in instilling moral standards, values and principles in shaping their children to become well-rounded members of society. Dr. Janet Campbell-Shelly, Dean, COHS, who brought greetings, encouraged parents to be mindful of their “awesome responsibility” in investing in the leaders of tomorrow, who will be impacting others as they go through life. She noted that the pandemic has caused a paradigm shift that calls for creative thinking outside of the box and a revolution in parental relationship, urging parents to capitalize on the tools and knowledge offered by the seminar. Ms. Marion McLarty, Lecturer in the Child and Adolescent Programme, COHS, in her remarks emphasized the importance of the family unit as the primary agent of socialization, noting that a child’s early experiences of learning morals and values in this structure, has cumulative and delayed impact on the rest of their lives, and by extension on society as a whole. The seminar included presentations on positive parenting, parenting capacity building and providing emotional and mental health self-care tools for parents. T he issues arising from the changing nature of work in light of the current Covid-19 global pandemic, formed the basis of a robust presentation and discussion in the first of a webinar series hosted by the School of Computing and Information Technology (SCIT) on October 1, 2020. Leading the presentation, Professor Sean Thorpe, Head, SCIT, postulated that several categories of work would be defunct, necessitating persons to remold themselves to fit the new paradigm. Professor Thorpe noted that the webinar marks the School’s contribution to the conversation on current and future opportunities available for students, in light of the fundamental changes brought about by the pandemic, especially in the field of information technology and computing. In his presentation, Professor Thorpe noted that many hallmarks of the 4th Industrial Revolution, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, 3D printing, smart office software automation, internet of Things (IoT) based-technologies, and others, were now being implemented in response to the need for vector control measures in workplaces. He further posited that the rapid introduction of automation in many sectors, for example accounting, would mean the displacement of many jobs seen as “clerical and repetitive,” which could be performed by an Artificial Intelligence. Citing a 2015 PricewaterhouseCoopers study, Professor Thorpe pointed out that approximately 97.5% of accounting staff were at risk of displacement by companies that would embrace automation to streamline business processes. Indicating that COVID-19 was a catalyst for a major shift in workplace employment, consumption patterns and production, Professor Thorpe cautioned that ill-preparedness for this shift would mean dire consequences for the Jamaican workforce, including talent shortages in the field of technology, mass unemployment and workplace inequality. He advocated for students and job seekers to reskill and upskill themselves to take up opportunities in the information technology and computing field, recommending that universities and other educational institutions retool to fit the “fluid and changing” needs of employees and employers in technology-driven fields. Joining the discussion was a panel of experts, comprising Clive Beckford, Managing Director, Innovate 10X, Raj Patil, President, Jamaica Computer Society, Silicon Valley Chapter, and John Matthew Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer, Creditinfo Jamaica Limited. Following the presentation, the panel engaged in a discussion on the practicality of the implementation of automation in Jamaica, and the ethical considerations to be taken in moving toward a society firmly in the throes of the 4th Industrial Revolution. Cynthia Shako Early Childhood Education and Day Care Centre Hosts Impactful Virtual Parenting Seminar SCIT Webinar examines the future of work in the new era of the Covid-19 pandemic