Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill on Wednesday declared that he wishes to see closer collaboration between the Ministry and the University of Guyana’s Faculty of Technology simply because “development is taking place at a rapid pace” and “the opportunities must be seized now”.
Edghill further added, “Development has a time frame, and we must get the job executed within the timeframe or else we will miss the opportunity.”
He further outlined four means that he envisages will provide cohesive collaboration to reinforce accelerated growth and cutting-edge infrastructural development in Guyana. First, more students’ involvement at the Ministry during their years of studying, secondly, more students afforded internship opportunities, third, establishing a ‘think tank’, and lastly, engineers and lecturers must train the minds of future generations.
The focal point of the minister, representatives from the University of Guyana’s Faculty of Technology, and the Sea and River Defence Board discussions, surrounded collaborative efforts in the areas of research and development and capacity building in the engineering field.
Amongst some of the topics discussed at the meeting were the coordination of research and development initiatives in the areas of shore protection and other facets of engineering, such as, improving laboratory testing and data management capabilities, internship arrangements between the Ministry and the University of Guyana, collaborations to host engineering conferences for both students and professionals, and student scholarships. He also outlined areas for improvement he wishes to see in the engineering field.
Representing the University of Guyana were Maxwell Jackson, Head – Department of Civil Engineering from the Faculty of Technology (FoT) and Dr. William Wilson, Senior Lecturer – Department of Civil Engineering. Representing the Ministry of Public Works were Brigadier Gary Beaton, Chairman – Sea and River Defence Board, Kevin Samad, Chief Sea and River Defence Officer; Jermaine Braithwaite, Secretary – Sea and River Defence Board and Jeffrey Walcott, Senior Hinterland Engineer.
