- Starting 2020 to present, 872 residents of region 10 certified through BIT.
- 342 females and 539 males received certificates in various skills in the mining region.
After the PPP/C Administration took office in 2020, fulfilling its manifesto mandate under providing better quality life for all, saw enhanced opportunities in Technical Vocational Education delivery across Guyana.
This article will focus on the significant certification of region ten residents in hard skills programmes starting 2020 to present, through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), Ministry of Labour, under the stewardship of Minister of Labour, Hon. Joseph Hamilton, and his team of officers at BIT.
The government’s goal became a reality after several regional visits were made by the minister and his team to the region. Linden, Ituni, Kwakwani and several riverine communities lining the borders of the Upper Demera-Berbice River were touched with engaged residents reaching the thousands by officials of BIT.
Besides the visits, the minister saw the need to ensure that technical officers were employed and placed in every region and that did not exempt region ten.
The region was divided into two and one officer was placed in Linden and one in Kwakwani to cover the geographical areas of the district, this strategy became a beneficial, allowing residents to apply for programmes under BIT, right in their communities.
Our region ten beneficiaries in 2023, are holders of hard skill certificates in Heavy Duty Equipment Operation, General Building Construction, Electrical Installation, Welding and Fabrication, Small Engine Repairs, Auto Electric and Electronics, Air Conditioning, Plumbing, Joinery and Introduction to Photovoltaic Installation and Repairs, just to name a few.
Residents were not deprived from soft skills, but the labour ministry saw it fit to ensure that residents of the mining region became motivated and receive skills training making them eligible to secure jobs in the industrial sector, rather than importing skills from other regions of Guyana.
Starting 2020, 104 residents graduated in Linden, the following year, BIT certified 231 persons and in 2022, the figure tripled to 537 graduates from Linden, Ituni and Kwakwani.
In total, BIT certified 872 beneficiaries, 377 beneficiaries in hard skill areas and 495 went to soft skills, there were 342 females and 539 males. Additionally, the number of female participations after the PPP/C administration took office, especially with young girls and women pursuing hard skill courses.
These figures will continue to climb under the initiative to push more hard skill programmes to the citizens of Guyana.
In July 2022, the Board of Industrial Training launched its first ‘skills-for-job’ training programme in Region Ten aimed at filling the demands for skilled, qualified, and certified citizens to take the country forward.
Supported by Minister Hamilton, the initiative sought to fill the gap of limited personnel especially in the hinterland regions, who are certified in these hard-skills, and are readily employable in their communities.
(Board of Industrial Training, Public relations Department).