Thirty-two young adults have successfully completed Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited’s 7th Youth Link Apprenticeship programme.
The programme saw Republic Bank welcoming the selected young adults from November 3rd, 2014 to May 30th, 2015.
At a graduation ceremony held for the successful apprentices in the Savannah Suite at the Pegasus Hotel on Tuesday, Hollis Kellman, a representative of the Foreign Business Department of Republic Bank’s Water Street branch expressed overall satisfaction with the graduates and the programme.
“At Republic Bank, we are pleased to have contributed in some way to your development; transitioning from school life to the world of work. You have made us all proud and I am sure that your parents, guardians and teachers are equally pleased with your performance,” he said.
These sentiments were echoed by Managing Director of Republic Bank John Alves, who also encouraged the graduates to embrace the main tenets of the programme—professionalism, dedication and Integrity—as they prepare to take their next step in lives.
During the programme, Republic Bank sought to instill several values, including excellence in customer service, attendance, and punctuality, maintaining a professional attitude and team orientation.
In addition to that, Alves proudly reported that the latest batch was the first to benefit from the Competency Based Education (CBE) programme.
This addition came as a result of Republic Bank being a registrant of the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET). With this, he said, the apprentices are able to be assessed and certified by the CTVET. The certificate can be used by the graduates when seeking employment for certain entry-level jobs.
“Youth Link apprentices, today I am both pleased and proud of who you have become and more so, at your collective response to the programme,” Alves offered.
“I warmly congratulate each of you for having spent time with us, earning yourselves the distinction of becoming graduates of the Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited Youth Link Apprenticeship programme,” he added.
The awardees were presented with certificates as well as a presentation for special prizes. Among the awardees were Crystal Rodney, an apprentice in the Marketing and Accounts Department of the Water Street branch, who walked away with the award for being the most congenial apprentice.
Hugh Babb, also from the Water Street branch, was awarded for the best business proposal. In addition to Rodney and Babb, Niketa Emmanuel managed to walk away with the award for being the most improved apprentice.
Meanwhile, Cassandra Sunthgolam, of the Bank’s New Amsterdam branch, carted off three awards, including most disciplined apprentice, most effective e presentation as well as best all-rounder. Apart from the three awards, the young woman also managed to secure the position of Valedictorian.
In her address at the ceremony, Sunthgolam related that it was always her dream to work at a reputable bank in Guyana. She went on to highlight how she pushed herself to attain that dream throughout high school with the hope of being named valedictorian for the Berbice High School. Though she related her disappointment at not achieving the latter part of her dream, she subsequently realised that another opportunity to be valedictorian presented itself through the Youth Link Apprenticeship programme.
Sunthgolam expressed gratitude to the staff of Republic Bank who played an integral role in the programme, thus allowing her and the other graduates to bridge the gap between high school and the working world.
After the ceremony, the young woman explained that she is not currently employed at Republic Bank given the lack of vacancies at the New Amsterdam Branch and her parents not being inclined to relocate to the capital city. However, she plans to continue her studies by pursuing a Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) qualification.
As part of the programme, the apprentices were exposed to early insight into the work environment, which was aimed at boosting their marketability, among other things, as they embarked on their individual career pursuits.
The 32 young men and women also benefited from a community outreach, styled ‘Care-A-Van,’ which afforded them the opportunity to experience a period of care giving with the children at the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre as well as an interactive session on first aid. The latter was facilitated by the Guyana Red Cross Society.
Additionally, the apprentices enjoyed a day of fun as they ventured to areas along the Essequibo River, including stops at Fort Island, Bartica and the Baganara Island Resort.
The Youth Link Apprenticeship programme saw its birth in 2008 and has seen the recruitment of a total of 182 young adults to date.
