The past year felt like a decade for some. But for technology, it can be described as the new renaissance.
The technologies seeping out of labs, which have been brewing for the past years, gained worldwide adoption overnight. People had no choice but to adjust to this new reality.
But let's face it, not everyone was capable of adapting to this change. For some, it was like a cold shower out of the blue. People who had a technological phobia and avoided digital devices like the plague were forced to re-evaluate their beliefs to avoid social isolation.
Families from disadvantaged groups struggled to find cheap devices that would allow their children to continue their studies online, making education a luxury of the few once again. But when these people face a minor technological glitch, their whole world grinds to a halt once again.
The truth is that our world is changing at a much faster pace than we ever envisaged, people are lagging behind, and the pandemic is nothing more than an ugly reality check.
Returning to the old norm is not an option, but we have to look forward and plan our course of action properly. As Bill Gates stated, this pandemic is probably one of many yet to come, so we have to learn to adjust, keep moving forward and develop further.
Essentially we have to look at this pandemic and learn from it. We need to understand what worked and what didn't. It is also crucial to figure out why we are in such a situation where technological disparities still abound even though educational initiatives have been available for decades. Ultimately, we need to make bold decisions if we want our country to be future proof. Even though this is the most sound course of action, such an approach is rarely possible because we seldom have the luxury to stop time and think about our future.
That is why the HSBC Malta Foundation is sponsoring The Human Capital Project, supported by the Ministry for Education, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, the Malta Business Bureau, the University of Malta and the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology. The project aims to analyse the current and future economic environments, assessing their impact on Malta's labour market while also highlighting the skills needed. Maltese people have always been considered adaptable in the old world. We need to work together to ensure that our abilities can also be adapted to the new digital world.
Prof Alexiei Dingli, Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Dr Rose Marie Azzopardi, an economist, focusing on the labour market, are the lead researchers on this three-year project.