DeVry expands AI workforce training push across the Caribbean

Caribbean nations are being pressed to move faster on artificial intelligence education and job training as regional industries face swift digital disruption and stronger competition overseas.

DeVry University, a United States-based institution, says it is broadening its AI education work in the region under its Bridge to Brilliance programme, which has reached its first year. The university says that by the close of 2026, AI literacy and hands-on AI skills will be built into all its courses, with Caribbean students and working professionals among those being prepared for an economy increasingly shaped by the technology.

According to DeVry, the programme is intended to make affordable, high-quality education more accessible while giving learners across the Caribbean both technical knowledge and workplace abilities. The institution says those skills will be important as AI changes sectors such as tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, business and healthcare.

"As AI continues to reshape the global workforce at an unprecedented pace, the gap between current skills and emerging industry demands is widening," said Scarlett Howery, DeVry University’s vice president of strategic partnerships. Howery said companies are paying closer attention not only to recruiting new talent, but also to upgrading the skills of staff already on the job so they can keep up with fast-moving technology.

During the past year, DeVry says students from several Caribbean countries have enrolled while the university has developed links with employer groups and education providers around the region.

Regional voices are also warning that Caribbean economies need to respond quickly if they are to remain competitive in the AI age. Sonia Edwards, president of the St. Kitts and Nevis Association of Human Resource Professionals, said readiness for AI has become a strategic issue for organisations in the region.

"Investing in AI training is a strategic imperative, one that positions small island economies to innovate, compete, and lead on the global stage," Edwards said.

In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, DeVry has widened its private-sector engagement through partnerships with the business community. Tony Regisford, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said AI could bring major change to important Caribbean industries by helping them operate more efficiently and support new ideas.

"AI in the Caribbean has the potential to be transformational," Regisford said, identifying tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and services as areas where opportunities could emerge.

Bridge to Brilliance also offers scholarships to eligible students and is aimed at supporting workforce development across the Caribbean. DeVry says it plans to keep growing its regional partnerships as governments, companies and education institutions prepare for both the benefits and challenges of an AI-powered economy.