Govt spearheads Youth Empowerment and Skills Training in Region 2

–provides training to strengthen country’s procurement process, engages with Region’s private sector   

In line with Government’s agenda of enhancing human capital development through education and skills training across the country, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Honourable Dr. Ashni Singh, along with the Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce, Honourable Oneidge Walrond, today led an outreach in Region Two to showcase and encourage full participation in a number of education and training opportunities to youths, at the Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School.

The training is a follow up to a visit to the Region by Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo where a promise was made by the administration to directly facilitate the ramped-up utilization of the education and skills training opportunities being offered by Government. The initiative allowed for youths to become sensitized to the numerous training programmes and scholarships, and even sign up on the spot for those being offered by the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), Board of Industrial Training (BIT), and the Ministries of Health, Public Service, Agriculture, and Tourism, Industry and Commerce.

Dr. Singh, while addressing youths in attendance, used the opportunity to highlight the rapid economic growth that the country is currently achieving and indicated that this growth translates to opportunities in all sectors of interest for all Guyanese irrespective of where they live. In particular, the Minister pointed out that with the new emerging economy, the country needs more professionals and technicians in every sector including doctors, nurses, engineers, welders, construction workers,  heavy-duty equipment operators, among others. He further alluded to the fact that in Budget 2024, reference was made to the unprecedented level of entrepreneurial and employment opportunities that are being generated as a result of Guyana’s rapid economic growth.

Minister Singh further pointed to the wide array of academic scholarships being offered by the Public Service Ministry and GOAL, as well as the various skills training programmes conducted by BIT, and he urged the youths to make full use of these opportunities.

It can be recalled that His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has repeatedly said that Guyanese are living in an era which requires boldness as a country and as individuals to explore ways in which we can better what is already being done as well as engage in new economic activities.

Dr. Singh also met and engaged with a broad cross-section of the private sector and listened to their concerns. During discussions, he highlighted the various development initiatives in the Region and encouraged them to continue to invest and expand their operations in Region Two and beyond.

Minister Walrond, who also addressed the private sector, elaborated on the Government’s plans to promote Region Two as a major centre for tourism and she engaged several stakeholders of the sector.

Importantly, as Government continues to strengthen the country’s procurement process, and ensure good governance, accountability and transparency in relation to the procurement, awarding and implementation of projects throughout the country, officials of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) today conducted a training exercise with a number of regional procurement entities.

Persons at the forum were sensitized to the legal bidding and procurement procedures in terms of Government contracts so that tendering authorities conduct the process in the correct manner and are in full compliance with the Procurement Act and its Regulations.

This initiative was also a follow-up to Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo’s recent visit to the Region where he noted that “There is no room for departure of that Act unless they get the explicit approval of the NPTAB and the Ministry of Finance. Too often we have found departures from the standard bidding document that are part of our legislation and because there are so many procuring entities around the country, hundreds of them at different levels… they can alter the bidding documents which should be standard. That should not happen.”