‘Skills-for-job’ training to benefit over 200 Region 10 residents

The first ‘skills-for-job’ training programme was launched by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), in Region Ten on Tuesday. It is aimed at filling the demands for skilled, qualified and certified citizens to take the country forward, and boost the economy.

It was revealed that the four- month training programme will see 179 residents from Linden, and 50 from Kwakwani being trained in a number of skills-set including welding and fabrication, building construction, electrical installation and agro-processing, among other courses.  “We have to be prepared wherever we are, whichever region or whichever section of the region we reside, because everything that will happen here, we have to have people with technical skills,” Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton said during the programme’s launch.

Hamilton explained that there are limited personnel, especially in the hinterland regions, who are certified in these hard-skills, and are readily employable in their communities.

The minister encouraged residents to take full advantage of the ministry’s training programmes, which are offered free of cost. Hamilton revealed that trainees will be given a stipend, while trainers will be selected directly from their area, allowing more money to be circulated in the region.

The labour minister said government will continue working to ensure persons are trained in the required skills for community development.

“We have to manufacture by the hundreds, welders and fabricators, building contractors, electrical installation people, who are qualified and certified and recognised and accredited,” the minister said.

Hamilton stressed that it is necessary to train Guyanese for the construction sector as more job opportunities will arise in the future.

“You cannot discuss building hundreds of houses, and we’re not discussing at the same time training plumbers by the dozens, training building contractors, and that’s what we do, we have a training called building construction,” the minister noted.

Minister Hamilton lamented the difficulty of sourcing employees in Guyana to operate forklifts, crane, and other such machines to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry. He noted that BIT will fill the gap as it will train persons to operate such equipment.

Additionally, the minister said as Guyana continues the development of the tourism industry, more programmes, such as food preparation and cake decoration are being offered by BIT.  Hamilton added that the skills for job training programme will also be launched in Regions Two, Five, Six and Ten.