Eighty-five students from 19 educational institutions are pursing work-study attachments at 12 units of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
In a press release the GDF said 28 are attached to the Fourth Engineers Battalion while others are assigned to 11 other units including the air, agriculture, medical, signal corps and headquarters at Base Camp Ayanganna and Base Camp Stephenson respectively.
The students are being encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity and to make the Force their first choice for employment when they complete their academic studies. The students have been briefed about the various opportunities available for their training in the force. The army’s education programme aims at providing opportunities for its soldiers’ continuing education regardless of the level at which they serve.
The GDF says it sees the work-study programme as “a perfect mechanism to aid nation building through its provision of opportunities for the personal development of youths.”
In the first phase of the programme Jereme Ramatan of St Joseph High School, Huixiang Chen of Charlestown Secondary and Mark Shortt of Covent Garden Secondary have been attached to the Information Technology Department at Camp Ayanganna. The teens have said that the “environment is great” and they hope to learn much more from the experience. The second phase of the work-study programme will begin on August 4, 2008.
Further, the GDF said it is currently recruiting for its second Basic Recruits Course (BRC) this year, set to begin mid-August. The soldiers who recently graduated from the first BRC are now undergoing specialised training which will further equip them to work within the various units of the Force. Youths with a sound secondary education are encouraged to apply.
