A new locally-owned multi-service company designed “to deliver the level and quality of services that take account of the need to meet the requirements of a transforming Guyana economy” has been launched by a Guyanese management specialist who previously served in senior positions with expatriate firms in the country’s gold mining industry.
Global People Services and Management Consultants Inc (GPSM) Chief Executive Officer, Peter Benny told the Stabroek Business earlier this week that the new company will be offering services in various types of training and other areas that will better position a wide range of local companies to provide technical and other forms of support for local, regional, and international partners operating in Guyana. “What we are seeking to do is to position locally based companies to offer service quality that matches the demands of their clients in a transforming Guyanese economy,” Benny told Stabroek Business.
The former personnel manager with the Canadian-owned Omai Gold Mines Ltd says that the new company has set itself the mission of “helping to raise skills and service-delivery levels of Guyanese workers in various areas to levels that will equip them to effectively support foreign investors pursuing various types of business initiatives in Guyana.”
Benny, who, up until recently, served as Director of Corporate Management with the Chinese-owned Aurora Gold Mines (AGM) Ltd said that the new company is focussed on “building local capacity in areas that include the construction, mining, forestry and agricultural sectors. We believe we are aware of many of the areas where the major skills and delivery-related weaknesses are and part of our focus will be on plugging those gaps,” Benny told the Stabroek Business.
According to Benny, even as the newly-formed company aims to better equip the local work force to respond to the skills and service requirements of investors, it will also be focussing on “working with locally-owned micro and small businesses that may require training that will better position them to make their businesses viable and competitive in the new environment. “We have seen the emergence of some local micro-, small- and medium-sized business ventures which reflect the boldness of people who want to get ahead. We believe that those courageous small investors ought to be provided with the skills and the opportunity to take their ventures to greater heights. This country cannot develop an economy that leaves small businesses behind,” he opined.
The human resources management specialist, told Stabroek Business that the new company has already begun to identify specialists in various disciplines, from both inside and outside Guyana, to deliver some of the competencies which the company will offer.
GPSM was formed in 2020 and became operational in April of this year. “At GPSM we will be seeking to combine local skills and experiences with externally-sourced skills and services to deliver a high-quality product. We are aware of the standards that are required to take Guyana where it needs to go,” Benny declared.
The company, he told the Stabroek Business, will be providing training and technical advice in areas that include management, work force recruitment and manpower, transportation, logistics and freight and procurement. “GPSM will also be seeking to provide services to overseas investors seeking to expedite work permits and other matters relating to staying and working in Guyana. Ideally we would like to be able to address all of the concerns that potential investors might have in relation to ensuring that their business pursuits here benefit from the best possible operating profile.” He told this newspaper that the various safety and health-related disciplines will be in increasing demand as more local and overseas companies establish different types of businesses in Guyana and that safety and health will be one of the new company’s primary concerns.
GPSM has just concluded a forklift operating programme for more than thirty participants locally as well as First Aid and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) programmes in Guyana.
According to the CEO, specific training courses are being designed for Occupational Safety and Health officers in areas that include marine safety, forestry safety, and safety-related protocols in the international oil & gas and agricultural sectors. “We have noted the need for safety awareness on the part of Safety Officers in the industries where they work. In a more vibrant Guyana growth environment, we are focussing on the need to position both the state and private sectors to minimise the workplace accident rate.”
Meanwhile, GPSM is also offering services in transportation and logistics. “We currently offer transportation services to one of the oil and gas companies that leases vehicles from us. We hope to offer this service to other private and state entities, going forward,” Benny said.
M is currently in discussion with the Barbadian company, Caribbean Catalyst Inc, with regard to providing training locally in areas that include Supervision and Human Resource Management. The company is also engaging the Surinamese company, Le Grand Baldew Transportation services, with a view to initiating a transportation and logistical service utilising luxury buses from Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana for visitors from Europe in tour packages.
The local company is also seeking to establish links with other regional and international partners to support its onshore training pursuits in the oil & gas industry as well as ISO certification.
GPSM can be found on the social websites – Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and on its website www.gpsmconsultants.com. The company’s offices are located at Lot 35 E North Road, Lacytown, Georgetown.
