OECS Statistics Offices to benefit from a Special Training Programme in Development and Research

(Castries Friday November 2nd 2012) The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat in collaboration with the Mexican Government and the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico (INEGI) will be implementing an OECS Statistics Training Programme.

The programme aims to build sustained dedicated institutional capacity within the OECS Secretariat and in Member States in the fields of statistical development and research. This capacity building initiative is intended to contribute to addressing key policy and development issues at the heart of the OECS Economic Union and other OECS developmental initiatives.

File photo of OECS Directors of statistics

The first seminar under this programme will take place from November 5th – 16th, 2012 in Mexico and will focus its training on the use of the REDATAM software and Sample Design of Surveys. REDATAM is an acronym for Retrieval of Data for small Areas by Microcomputer. It’s a database management tool that administrates large volumes of census micro-data with hierarchical (geographical) structure down to the smallest area of the census administrative exercise, often city blocks or similar-sized areas.

REDATAM was developed to promote access to and analysis of census and other data for informed decision making for sectoral and local development programmes and policies:

• by facilitating for Central Statistics Offices (CSOs) the dissemination of micro-data (taking into account confidentiality issues)
• by providing the end users (Sectoral Ministries, regional and local authorities and universities) with a user friendly and fast software

Moreover, the Sample Design component of the seminar will target participants from the OECS Member States’ Statistical Offices whose current responsibility in some way requires them to perform statistical design and / or preparation and updating of sampling frames.

According to Sean Curtis Mathurin at the OECS Secretariat, the seminar will target participants from OECS Member States’ Statistical Offices whose current responsibilities include statistical design and/or preparation and updating of sampling frames:“This would assist the Statistical Offices to respond to the demand for the production of household survey data, at the high level of frequency required by OECS governments to enable formulation of appropriate and effective policies and to target vulnerable groups”.

In that regard, this training exercise will strategically support the work of the OECS Living Standards Measurement Committee (LSMC), which aims to contribute to the production of up-to-date, harmonised data and data analysis for labour, poverty and inequality measurement across the OECS countries.