Machinery Corporation of Guyana Limited (Macorp) has reiterated its commitment to enhancing the abilities of Guyana’s human resources with the launch of a new learning centre at its Providence, East Bank Demerara location.
The new centre was commissioned on February 10th in the presence of Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, Macorp executives and employees, as well as students from the country’s various technical institutions.
Macorp’s Product Support Manager Guillermo Escarraga, in his address, said the new centre represents the company’s commitment to the development of the human talent in Guyana.
“We at Macorp are sure that it is through education, that we can have the biggest impact on the lives of those we touch; whether our employees, our customers or the community we serve, education has the capacity to transform people,” Escarraga stated.
The manager also highlighted the success of several Macorp employees who have over the years been able to benefit from educational opportunities facilitated by the company.
Among those mentioned were Hugh Griffith, the first Guyanese to have been certified by CAT in electric power generation and Navindra Suresh who elevated himself from the position of warehouse clerk to certified technician in excavators and agriculture machinery.
“These are only a few examples of what our people have achieved when given the opportunity,” he added, before acknowledging the support received by the company’s executives and other stakeholders.
Meanwhile, General Manager of the company, Jorge Medina said the new centre opens a door of opportunities for capacity building among Guyanese.
He also emphasized the importance of establishing similar facilities to promote in house training as means of developing local human resources.
“This learning and training centre that we are conditioning today will be our sand grain to build the future of Guyana with a main focus on high quality of its curriculum thanks to the association and support of CAT University,” Medina said.
“Macorp invites all of its employees, customers and community at large to take advantage of this precious resource as a wealth of knowledge is at your disposal… let’s build Guyana together,” he added.
Reflecting on the progress made in training of employees over the years, Macorp’s Human Resource and Finance Manager Anita Rampersaud said the company has come a long way, moving from a point where training was restricted to technical staff to an era where all Macorp employees are able to benefit from some form of training.
“We … have developed a curriculum that facilitates technicians at a level that is in line with their experience and their skill and expertise on the job,” Rampersaud said.
She also boasted about the company’s success in training an estimated 885 operators between 2009 and 2017, most of whom now service various sectors in Guyana.
“In 2009, technicians sat the Technician Career Development Programme exams for the first time and yielded a 22% pass rate…over the years, they have been able to secure 89% pass rate,” Rampersaud added.
The curriculum is said to focus on building capacity in technical, vocational, managerial and leadership areas.
