The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE government yesterday celebrated 1,000 Bahamians who graduated from its online learning initiative, Upskill Bahamas.

Upskill Bahamas, first announced in the 2025/26 budget, is a centrepiece of the Davis administration’s push to expand digital learning. The platform, launched last November, offers more than 40 courses from over 30 institutions, allowing Bahamians aged 16 and older to study technology, business, finance, health, marketing, hospitality, foreign languages, artificial intelligence and skilled trades, and to earn certificates at no cost.

A graduation ceremony was held at Baha Mar with some of the graduates in attendance. Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis highlighted the wide range of participants, noting that the youngest graduate is 16 and the oldest is 67.

Mr Davis said that when his administration launched the initiative, it identified a “possibility gap — the gap between what your skills allow you to do and what you dream of doing.”

“Too many of our people have lived inside that gap for too long. You have the talent, you have the drive – but something is missing. A qualification, a skill, access to the right training,” Mr Davis.

“Sometimes the most important thing that’s missing is the confidence you can learn and master something new.Well, let me tell you something. Every one of you, every graduate here today, decided to build a bridge across that gap.”

Mr Davis noted that the world is changing at a much faster pace with the use of artificial intelligence.

He said AI has changed the way the world communicates, and while some jobs in various fields have been replaced through its use, it also presents opportunities.

“These changes also represent extraordinary opportunity – if we are prepared. That’s why we are going to expand Upskill Bahamas, so that it is central to our national development plans.”

“Education and training in this country will no longer be treated as something exclusively for your childhood or teenage years, or your early twenties. We are building a Bahamas where learning is truly a lifelong pursuit – supported by your government, connected to real opportunities, and available to every Bahamian, at every stage of life.”

Education Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin said that of the 1,000 graduates, 25 percent were male and 75 percent were female. She noted that the diversity in age, background and career choices shows how many Bahamians are eager for self-development.

Meanwhile, Progressive Liberal Party candidate for Fort Charlotte, Mr Sebas Bastian, emphasised that one of the greatest contributors to his personal success is a lifelong commitment to learning.