CARIRI Launches Tech Lab For Young Entrepreneurs

An estimated 300 young people will have the opportunity to learn new technology and become entrepreneurs during CARIRI's D.I.A. Lab, Trinidad and Tobago.

Project Chief of the Lab, Denise Ferguson, said the new initiative will allow the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) to expand their scope into an area that allows at-risk youths to become ideators and innovators.

Ms. Ferguson said seed funding will be given for the winners of the initiative to develop their solutions.

She said CARIRI has taken a holistic approach to capacity building where attendees will learn about data science, coding and algorithms. They will also learn life skills such as negotiation and financial literacy.

Senior Business Development Officer, Laura D'Abreau, who has been working with past inventors in the programme, said the opportunity will be extended to those within the 16 to 30 age group.

The Democratizing Innovation in the Americas, or DIA lab, is being done in partnership with the Citi Foundation and the Trust of the Americas, an affiliate of the OAS.