More than 500 persons yesterday graduated from the Board of Industrial Training’s National Training Project for Youth Empowerment (NTPYE) and Single Parents, at a ceremony at the National Cultural Centre.
The project targeted youths and single parents to assist them in developing a skill that would enable them to better take care of themselves and their families.
Of the 504 graduates, 25 were said to be single parents. It was noted that 521 persons had initially signed up for the one-year programme but 17 discontinued training, resulting in the programme concluding with a 97% completion rate.
Project Coordinator Coreen Conelly stated that training in over 25 occupational areas were available to the graduates, including catering, cosmetology, Informa-tion Technology, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering. Some persons also graduated from the medical registrar area. These programmes, Conelly said, were offered at over 50 locations, both at private and public sector agencies.
Single parents were said to have been exposed to catering and cake decoration, cosmetology, garment construction and Information Technology programmes. Conelly said that the graduates were drawn from regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10.
President Donald Ramotar, in delivering the feature address, said that it is important to develop human capital to service the new economy ahead. He said that the programme was introduced by the government in 2005 to offer persons skills for better lives. Even then, he said, the government was aware the Guyana is headed to great things and six years later, he said, it has been proven that the right decision was made.
He further congratulated the graduates and the Board of Industrial Training as well for the work done in equipping the group with the valuable skills.
Ramotar urged the graduates to further develop their skills rather than be satisfied with what has been achieved.
