According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release, they completed several months of training in fields such as garment construction, catering, cosmetology, Information Communication Technology, office procedure, mechanic, auto air conditioning and auto electrical diagnostics, fuel diagnostic and heavy-duty machine mechanic and operator.
In his address, Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir urged the graduates to continue working to achieve their goals with the same energy they invested in completing the training. “You have completed the programmes because you wanted a second chance at life… so the money we invested in paying for your training was money well spent in development of the young minds and future of this country,” he said.
The minister noted that every working Guyanese is contributing to the development of the country and the skills acquired by the graduates will meet today’s needs and will even be in greater demand in the future as the country continues to develop to the stage where we all want it. He said the programme started with a budget of $11M in 2005 has grown to a budget of $145M in 2011. Over 2,000 youths and 400 single parents have already graduated from these sessions.
While he could not guarantee a job for every single person trained, Nadir urged them to explore their entrepreneurship skills. He also told them of a number of other services the ministry is offering, including those at the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency that has been providing jobs for thousands of Guyanese. “So the single parents who completed garment construction can use the skills to sew their children’s clothing and even their neighbours’ clothing,” he explained.
