151 OUT OF 440 HINTERLAND YOUTHS COMPLETED TRAINING WITH BOARD OF INDUSTRIAL TRAINING-
The Ministry of Labour in collaboration with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs on Wednesday, September 29th, 2021 distributed certificates of completion to approximately 150 Community Support Officers (CSO), from several hinterland communities at the Hinterland Scholarship Dormitory, Liliendaal, East Coast of Demerara.
The beneficiaries were offered Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes in Photo Voltaic Systems, Tractor Driving and Maintenance. The CSO’s were selected from each administrative region and were facilitated at the Kuru Kuru Training Center on the Soesdyke Linden Highway for more than two months.
At the institutio, the graduates were guided through hours of theoretical and practical training by Tractor Operations Trainer, Mr. Winslow Braithwaite and Tractor Maintenance Trainer, Mr. Clyde Chinian.
Attending the graduation ceremony were, Minister of Labour, Hon. Joseph Hamilton, Minister of Housing and Water, Hon. Colin Croal, Permanent Secretary, Ms. Sharon Hicks and Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mr. Ryan Toolsiram.
In his opening remarks, Minister Croal, thanked the Ministry of Labour, Board of Industrial Training for an intervention that will change the lives of many young persons. He explained, that the programme is mandated to improve employment within the hinterland communities and have residents of the villages be trained and provided work, rather than to fly someone from region four to region nine to maintain or repair heavy duty machines.
The featured addressed and charged was made by the Labour Minister, Hon. Joseph Hamilton, who encouraged the youths to use their skills to transform their lives, wherever they are. He stressed that his aim to ensure that training offered are not gender bias and to provide young women with the motivation needed to pursue training that are mostly dominated by males.
Minister Hamilton, also pointed out that the collaboration between the two ministry is not the first of its kind but it’s the first time the two government bodies are working together to delivery skills training to 440 Community Support Officers. Further, he noted that BIT will be going the extra mile to deliver skills training through the placement of BIT Technical Officers in every region, who are working with toshos, village councils and other government representative to get the message across to persons who are in need of self-development by learning a skill through BIT.
(Board of Industrial Training, Public Relations Department).