A contract was signed last Monday for the preparation of final designs and provision of construction supervision services for the expansion and refurbishment of three Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) facilities at the secondary level.
According to a Ministry of Education (MoE) press release, the signatories to this undertaking were: MoE, Jain Consultants Trinidad and Tobago Limited and Vikab Engineering Consultants Limited in association with Vikab (Guyana) Limited.
The TVET facilities are located at Fellowship in Region Three, Beterverwagting in Region Four and Hopetown in Region Five.
This project is Lot ‘B’ of the Enhance Learning Component of the Guyana Skills Development and Employability Project (GSDEP).
The GSDEP is funded by the Caribbean Development Bank through a loan and a grant agreement and funding from the Government of Guyana.
According to Project Coordinator of GSDEP, Terrence Siebs, the project has been long in the making and it is now at the stage where there is an experienced design engineering consultancy firm on board.
Siebs further explained, “The scope is to create very detailed designs and one of the interesting things about this project is that it’s not a case where the consultants prepare something and submit it to the Ministry. The Ministry prepared a very robust Terms of Reference after numerous consultations with different stakeholders. We already have a design review committee on board and apart from that, the consultant at each stage of the design has to do a presentation of the design.”
He disclosed that the contract sum is US$218,050 and there is a three-month design phase, after which there will be a tendering phase followed by a one-year construction phase which should be rolled out in July of this year. In addition there is another component of the project which entails the training of teachers and is intended to further improve the education system.
The Project Coordinator also stated that presently, there is a programme at the University of Guyana where 24 students are being trained in various engineering disciplines, namely engineering, civil and mechanical. Two persons will also attend the Barbados Community College this year to study fine arts and graphic design.
Minister of Education Dr Nicolette Henry highlighted the importance of the project not only to the MoE, but Guyana in its entirety regarding the issue of employability and skills development, both of which the Education Minister said are important.
Henry said it was intended to have the project begin in 2018 but due to some delays it is now being executed. “I trust that the young people of this country will truly benefit from this project. I trust that we are able to keep up with the timelines and the demands of this project. I certainly look forward to the outcomes which would be beneficial to the entire country,” the minister was quoted as saying.
Managing Director Hardat Punwasee, who signed on behalf of the consultancy firm, said that it will ensure that the client, the MoE, is not disappointed with the quality of work and promised to complete their work within the timeframe given.
Permanent Secretary Adele Clarke signed on behalf of the MoE.
The MoE added that when the three labs have been refurbished, training will be offered in the subject areas of masonry/plumbing/steel fixing, electrical installation, furniture making/carpentry and joinery, garment making, housekeeping and graphic design.
