The Caribbean region faces a growing youth employment challenge, as outdated infrastructure and limited digital skills continue to constrain economic opportunities and resilience. For much of the last decade, dependence on legacy copper networks led to high prices, low bandwidth, and widespread coverage gaps. Schools lacked the internet capacity to serve large student populations, and slow speeds eroded the competitiveness of key industries like tourism. Education systems also rarely emphasize digital competencies as a core outcome. At the same time, emerging IT and IT enabled services (ITES) sectors struggled with underdeveloped broadband infrastructure and a shortage of job-ready talent, limiting the region's ability to attract investment. Women and young people were particularly affected, with fewer accessible pathways to build digital skills or launch tech-driven enterprises. The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the need for reliable connectivity and market-relevant information and communication technology (ICT) training to support remote learning, employment, and entrepreneurship - especially in marginalized groups
