Training for Census Workers Under Way

Training has started for persons who will work on the 15th Population and Housing Census.

Director General, Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), Carol Coy, told JIS News that approximately 9,000 census takers and supervisors will be trained in four rounds of training, ending on August 24.

So far, persons from Trelawny Northern, St. James, Hanover, Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth have been trained, while those in Trelawny Southern, St. Mary Central and Western, St. Ann, Clarendon and Manchester are now being trained as part of the second round, which began on July 4.

“The training lasts for eight days… . We have two modes because of COVID-19 and nobody is sure how [it] will behave. There is a face-to-face and we have virtual also,” said Ms. Coy, adding that when persons are contacted for training, they are asked to indicate their preferred mode of delivery, which is then taken into consideration by STATIN.

Ms. Coy pointed out that training is a “critical” part of the census and is one of the largest activities undertaken during the process.

“We need to get maximum coverage when we [are] collecting census data and the quality of the data has to be good. So, therefore, we need to get the persons going out to understand certain concepts, because sometimes they might have to probe,” she said.

She indicated that data is collected in what is referred to as “enumeration districts”.

“You have to know your area because what that prevents is double counting or undercounting,” Ms. Coy explained.

She further noted that the census will, for the first time, be done using tablets. As such, persons will also be trained how to navigate the devices and how to use the software to conduct the two questionnaires that will be used for data collection.

Other areas that will be covered during the training include reason for the census, role of census takers and supervisors, behaviour during fieldwork and confidentiality.

Data collection will begin in September and is expected to end in December 2022, after which the information is compiled, analysed and a census report produced.

The exercise is conducted once every 10 years and allows the country to take a snapshot of its population to determine how many people reside within its borders, who they are, and where they live. It counts everyone in the country.

The 15th Population and Housing Census was initially scheduled for 2021 but was delayed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The last census was done in 2011.