COSTAATT and TTIFC SIGNS MOU TO COLLABORATE AND OFFER FINTECH COURSES FROM JANUARY

• 12/09/2024
• Posted By : Kegan Thomas
• Comments Off on COSTAATT and TTIFC SIGNS MOU TO COLLABORATE AND OFFER FINTECH COURSES FROM JANUARY

(L-R) Dawn Nelson – Vice President, Financial Sector Transformation, Trinidad and Tobago International Finance Corporation
Fayola Nicholas – VP Institutional Advancement, COSTAATT
Dr. Keith Nurse – President, COSTAATT
John Outridge- CEO, Trinidad and Tobago International Finance Corporation
Dr. Kyra Mc Gowan-Santana – Dean of School of Business and Digital Technologies, COSTAATT
Amelia Samai-Nicome – Vice President, Corporate Services, Trinidad and Tobago International Finance Corporation

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – September 11th 2024 – Striking the right balance of skills
and knowledge from a robust talent pipeline is the key to success across industries, harmonising
consumer demand with service supply. FinTech, as one of many drivers for increasing financial
inclusion in Trinidad and Tobago, is creating new digital financial services products that can
rapidly change how consumers access and interact with financial services by creating new
products and services.

“We are seeing an increased need to identify, attract, and develop a robust talent pipeline to
enhance the sector’s capabilities and quality of products and services while improving the use
and adoption of digital financial services. This is why we are collaborating with academic
institutions, FinTech startups, and other partners across the sector to understand the combination
of competencies needed to define new job roles and career paths and enable proactive skills
development and recruitment opportunities across this emerging workforce.” This is according to
John Outridge, CEO of Trinidad and Tobago International Financial Centre (TTIFC) at the signing
of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between TTIFC and the College of Science and
Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT) to collaborate on the
advancement of financial technology (FinTech) in Trinidad and Tobago.

The MoU seeks to facilitate capacity building for the sector through a combination of FinTech
workshops, courses, entrepreneurial accelerators and funding opportunities for FinTech startups
and solutions, as well as industry-related research in areas of fraud, cybersecurity, cloud
computing, blockchain, robotics, biometrics and artificial intelligence. This partnership will benefit
students tremendously through enhanced employability, entrepreneurship and networking
opportunities. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will also have access to new
FinTech tools, allowing for increased business growth locally and globally.

COSTAATT’s President, Dr Keith Nurse, said at the signing, “This collaboration aligns with our mission of providing accessible and quality education and training that empowers businesses to achieve their full potential. We are indeed thrilled to be the first local tertiary institution in Trinidad and Tobago to partner with TTIFC to create new opportunities for students and MSMEs as we move ahead to offer new certifications, training programmes and other resources to empower our students and the emerging workforce to meet global standards.”

This partnership between COSTAATT and TTIFC marks a significant step forward in positioning Trinidad and Tobago as a regional leader in the FinTech industry. The partnership will be pivotal in creating a vibrant sector that supports innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth by combining COSTAATT’s expertise in education and training with TTIFC’s focus on FinTech, financial sector transformation and financial inclusion.

(L-R)Dr. Keith Nurse – President, COSTAATT; John Outridge – CEO, Trinidad and Tobago International Finance Corporation