BIT signs contracts for skills training in 14 Region Two communities

-Food for the Poor donates sewing machines for garment construction programme

The Ministry of Labour’s Board of Industrial Training (BIT) on Tuesday signed contracts with the Evergreen/Paradise and Charity/Urasara Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and the Pomona Women’s, Youth and Reaching Out Group to provide technical and vocational skills training on the Essequibo Coast.  Residents from 14 villages in Region Two are expected to benefit.

Minister Hon. Joseph Hamilton signed the contracts during a visit to the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region.

He was accompanied by BIT’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Richard Maughn, Vice-Chairman, Mr. Humace Oodit; Senior Finance Officer, Mr. Darren Torrington; Senior Technical Officer, Mr. Rondell Jordan; Region Two, Technical Officer, Mr. Shaheed Mohammed and Mr. Lokenauth Rooplall.

Board of Industrial Training, CEO, Mr. Richard Maughn and Minister of Labour, Hon. Joseph Hamilton are pictured first and third from right. Also pictured are Regional Vice Chairman, Mr. Humace Oodit and Food for the Poor Representative, Ms. Andrea Benjamin during the handing over of the sewing machines.

The agreements marked the commencement of the 2021 training cycle in Guyana’s largest county through the National Training Programme for Youth Empowerment.  The goal is to train persons in 16 technical areas including cosmetology, commercial food preparation, garment construction and information technology.

Minister Hamilton said the programme will ensure that training opportunities available to people in Georgetown also reach other communities across the country.  To facilitate this, the Ministry has appointed BIT officers in every region who will be responsible for organising training programmes in keeping with the needs of the communities.

Board of Industrial Training, CEO, Mr. Richard Maughn during the signing of the contract for the training programmes.

“TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) training was given a bad name in our society. We saw it as for people who could not make it in academics; we saw it as dirty work.

But let me say this to you, you know where the money is at? The dirty work…the people doing the dirty work are making more money than the people who dress up in fancy clothes,” he told some of the prospective students at Pomona.

Prospective students

Minister Hamilton urged residents to make full use of the opportunities to train and educate themselves.

Meanwhile, Food for the Poor Incorporated donated ten sewing machines to the Pomona Women’s, Youth and Reaching Out Group to conduct garment construction training.

The agency has donated 72 electrical and 15 industrial sewing machines which will be distributed across all 10 administrative regions to provide training in garment construction.

The sewing machines

Food for the Poor, representative, Ms. Andrea Benjamin noted that the donation marks the beginning of a collaboration with BIT to provide capacity building and skills training to residents across the country. The collaboration will ensure the creation of jobs and prepare the youth for the world of work.