The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment yesterday received four computer systems from Mahdia Gold Corporation for a mining school which is to be built in Linden in Region Ten, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said in a press release.
The Guyana Mining School and Training Centre which will be situated at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission’s (GGMC’s) Minerals Processing Unit, Linden will be fully funded by Government.
This $35M investment is part of government’s plan to boost the mining sector and to develop skills at all levels of mining. It is expected to be completed by September month-end, GINA stated.
Meanwhile, the ministry and the GGMC are currently working with the College of the North Atlantic and the Marine Institute in Canada to develop courses to be offered at the school.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environ-ment, Robert Persaud expressed his profound appreciation for the donation, stating that the mining sector is growing at a rapid pace but one of the constraints has been the human resource shortage.
Persaud said he has had discussions with numerous stakeholders and they have recognised the need for more skills training.
He stated that the mining sector is very dynamic, it’s on a transformation path and the ministry is looking at introducing new technology.
“We have to take into account social as well as environmental variables that are required to have the type of personnel who operate in the sector, who are adequately trained and, also to put us in the position to make use of the opportunity,” Minister Persaud was quoted by GINA as saying.
The ministry is engaging a number of external institutions that will be assisting the mining school with training materials, expertise in teaching and courses being taught at different levels.
Training has been done over the years as it relates to mining, but having a mining school means that training will now be structured and organized, GINA added.
Mining Week is being observed under the theme “Investment and Technological Growth for Sustain-ability in the Mining Sector”.
