As it relates to tech innovation, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago tend to get much of the attention, but Saint Kitts and Nevis seems to be gearing up to be an innovation powerhouse in the Caribbean region. Dr Ricardo Neil, of the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, who is leading the charge in Saint Kitts, discusses the College’s robotics programme, along with the other cutting-edge work that is being done, plus what other countries can take away from the Saint Kitts experience.

 

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‘Innovation’ has become a buzzword among policymakers across the Caribbean region. It seems to be something that is desired, especially in the ICT space, but it can be argued that very little is actually being done to truly nurture it.

Although the innovation and entrepreneurship effort of ventures based in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago tend to get much of the spotlight, the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, which has a fraction of the population of both Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, is being recognised as punching well above its weight, especially with respect to innovation.

Over the past two years or so, and through one of the leading tertiary institutions on the island, the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, Saint Kitts and Nevis has been excelling in the area of robotics.  In August, Team Saint Kitts participated in a global robotics competition, where it came 36th out of 163 countries, and was the third highest ranked among Caribbean countries, although its robotics programme is just about two years old.

Much of the praise for the success realised goes to Dr Ricardo Neil, Senior Information Technology Lecturer at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, the Founder of the International Information Technology Academy of Excellence (IITAE), both of which are located in Saint Kitts. He is also a published author of two of the most widely used IT books for preparation for the regional Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CESC) examinations, which are usually taken in Grade 11.

In our interview with Dr Neil, the main areas we discussed are listed below:

  1. Team St Kitts’ involvement in the First Global robotics competition
  2. Dr Neil’s biggest takeaway from participating in global robotics competitions
  3. Why he decided to focus on robotics in the first place
  4. Other areas or projects that Dr Neil and his students are working on
  5. The entry requirements for the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College’s IT programme and to work on those special/advanced projects
  6. Why and/or how St Kitts and Nevis has been able to step up its innovation game
  7. What Dr Neil thinks other Caribbean countries can take away from the St Kitts experience and success
  8. Why Dr Neil decided to write his own IT textbooks
  9. Any specific goals he would like to accomplish whilst at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College.

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Image credits:  geralt (Pixabay);  R Neil

Music credit:  Ray Holman