Republic Bank Guyana on Monday launched its eighth Youth Link Apprenticeship Programme, which will cater to 31 apprentices over the course of the next seven months.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, the bank’s Managing Director Richard Sammy highlighted the fact that although the apprenticeship programme has been running since 2008, this year’s recipients will be only the second batch to benefit from the Competency Based Education (CBE) Certification.
CBE, according to the website EDUCAUSE, is an approach that “allows students to advance based on their ability to master a skill or competency at their own pace regardless of environment.” According to Sammy, Republic Bank began employing this method of training last year after it became a registered participant with the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET).
Sammy spoke of the benefits the students will receive over the next seven months through their own personal academic development and the growth they will see from investing in the lives of others through community service.
“It is your responsibility to embrace this opportunity for self-development. I am pleased to add that your time with us will also include community care, an important part of our culture at Republic Bank, where we seek to play our part in improving the lives of others in need. Youth Link Care-A-Van—our community outreach activity for you, our apprentices, was designed to foster social awareness, empathy, respect and care for the less fortunate,” he explained.
According to a bank press release, Republic Bank’s Apprenticeship Programme, which was introduced in Guyana in 2008 and has since resulted in the training of 188 students, was developed with the intention of bridging the gap between the end of the participants’ school lives and the start of their careers and it is geared at guiding them through a process of personal and professional growth.
