Flow Jamaica country manager, Stephen Price, says 1,800 low-income families have been reached through the ‘Jump’ pilot project, an initiative aimed at bridging the digital gap in Jamaica.

The programme, which originally targeted 1,500 households, seeks to bridge the digital divide within three to five years through a comprehensive programme that focuses on providing access, devices, and digital skills.

Price shared that ‘Jump’ is running smoothly, bringing much-needed assistance to vulnerable families who cannot afford Internet access or are not digitally literate.

“Almost 80 per cent of these households, from what we’ve seen so far, lack basic digital literacy. So, we’re training the entire household in digital literacy and then on top of that, we have a training of professionals programme that we’re working with One on One Education to deliver whereby persons can get certification courses in whatever field that they need,” he told Our Today.

Under the pilot, households are provided with subsidised Internet and training for six months. He shared that Flow is contemplating an extended subsidy for some families, but there is no guarantee that everyone on the programme will have access to the extension.

Price also shared that the full roll-out of the programme is projected to start by the latest April next year, after the conclusion of negotiations with the Government.

The ‘Jump’ pilot was launched in October last year. Under the programme, Flow provides families, identified through the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), with an HP Chrome book, high-speed connectivity, and digital skills training for J$800 per month.

Partners of the initiative include One on One Educational Services, the Caribbean School of Data, the Universal Service Fund, the Cable and Wireless Charitable Foundation, and the Mona School of Business and Management.