In its half-year review for 2018, Digital Jersey has said equipping people with digital skills is one of the most pressing priorities for the island.
Tony Moretta, Chief Executive of Digital Jersey, said work to equip the island’s workforce with the right skills in the face of the growth of artificial intelligence was vital.
He said: "A harsh reality facing Jersey is the island’s brain drain. As a small island community without a university, there's a constant flow of talented people leaving to go to university and often not coming back. We need more degree education and other upskilling options on-island. Digital Jersey is working to create a year-round calendar of events focused on equipping people with those skills."
According to the review, the Digital Jersey Hub has run conferences, classes and other events to help people to reskill. More than 3,000 people have attended in the first half of the year.
Another highlight of 2018 has been interest in the Sandbox proposition, which positions Jersey as a whole-country testbed for companies and even countries elsewhere in the world to test products and ideas and grow their businesses. Work to promote Sandbox will continue, including through the UK digital industry association Tech UK.
Also revealed in the half-year review, the number of businesses that have become members of Digital Jersey has passed 100. There were 104 business members as of the end of June, of which 20 had joined in the first half of the year. That’s in addition to the 340 individual members, 30 of which had signed up since the start of the year.
Among other highlights, Digital Jersey has:
• Supported four firms in relocating to Jersey as part of a campaign to promote the island among digital entrepreneurs
• Worked with JT to facilitate a new low-power wide area network to help link connected devices to the internet
• Assisted local start-up Soulgenic in creating a global online wellness platform, as part of a new business creating 40 new jobs
• Signed a memorandum of understanding with Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange