One hundred and eighty-eight young adults from the Leonora Technical and Vocational Training Centre and the Roadside Baptist Church Skills Training Centre are now better prepared for the world of work, having successfully completed courses in the National Training Programme for Youth Empowerment (NTPYE).
According to a statement issued by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), 132 students of the Leonora Technical & Vocational Training Centre graduated on February 10, and are now certified in areas of agricultural mechanics, carpentry, electrical installation, motor vehicle servicing, plumbing, welding and fabrication, metalwork engineering, data operations and general office administration.
Among those who graduated was also a group of persons who gained skills in garment construction and electrical installation from the Wakenaam Skills Training Centre, one who trained at the Uitvlugt Estate in the clerical field, and a group of differently-abled young women who have advanced their skills in sewing, via a collaborative effort with the Deaf Association of Guyana. Meanwhile, on February 15, 56 persons graduated from the Roadside Baptist Church Skills Training Centre, having completed training in information technology, computer repairs and maintenance and electrical installation.
It was noted that those selected to undergo the training were identified by the Guyana Police Force ‘B’ Division; this collaboration assisted both agencies in identifying individuals susceptible to social ills including domestic violence, suicide and crime and placing them in meaningful activities.
Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection Keith Scott, who presided over both events, was quoted as saying that the goal is “to provide individuals with competency based technical vocational education and training, to enable them to gain an entry level skill, and to expand their opportunities. These interventions are geared to address issues such as poverty alleviation and crime prevention, which are critical to the socio-economic development of Guyana. We also aim to fulfil the government’s emphasis on reducing youth unemployment and enabling our youth to rise to their full potential.”
“Having been established in 1910, and catering primarily for apprenticeship training, the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), which is an arm of the Ministry of Social Protection, has over the ensuing years ventured into additional training programmes,” the statement said.
Further, it has been with the collaboration from the various technical and vocational institutions, regional organizations, community development organizations and NGOs countrywide, that efforts are made to engage young persons from across Guyana in skills development in a wide scope of occupational skill areas ranging from the engineering to IT sectors, the statement said.
The expansion of BIT’s training programmes targets school drop-outs/disadvantaged youths and in so doing, offers an opportunity for young people to be trained and certified in a selected/chosen field of training.
“Upon the successful completion of the said programmes, the graduating trainees are certified by the Board of Industrial Training,” the statement added.
