The Private Sector Commission (PSC) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with US online training platform Coursera Inc to collaborate on the creation of a national upskilling and reskilling programme aligned to the needs of the local private sector.
Chairman of the Private Sector Commission Paul Cheong signed the MoU on behalf of the PSC, while Senior Advisor, Government Affairs, for Coursera, Chad Pasha signed on behalf of the online platform. The signing took place in the Boardroom of the PSC headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana.
In a statement, the PSC announced that the parties were collaborating to create a free, national reskilling and upskilling initiative that will help people across Guyana develop the skills most in-demand across the country’s private sector.
It further stated that as Guyana’s economic landscape rapidly evolves, it is “imperative” that Guyanese have the opportunity to earn the skills and credentials needed to prepare them for the job market.
According to the MoU signed by PSC and Coursera, the two intend to work together to understand skills gaps across private sector organisations and build “tailored skills development” programmes accordingly.
“The MoU paves the way for the local Private Sector businesses to urgently build capacity in specific skillsets that are immediately required in Guyana’s fast-growing economy. The content and training programmes to be developed by Coursera will not just be tailored to the needs of the Local Private Sector but will be of international standard utilising the latest academic and vocational concepts,” Cheong was quoted as saying in the release.
The release explained that ultimately the project will offer different learning opportunities for individuals to access courses, guided projects, and professional certificates from some of the most prestigious universities and companies in the world, including University of London, Yale University, Google, Microsoft, and IBM.
“Cross-sector initiatives like this, which connect job seekers, educators, and employers, will be key to addressing the scale and fast-evolving nature of the skills gap accelerated by the pandemic and automation,” added Global Head of Government Partnerships at Coursera, Kevin Mills, “We’re honored to partner with the Private Sector Commission to create a nationwide career training initiative that will equip Guyanese people with the skills, knowledge, and credentials needed to build a competitive and equitable workforce in the new economy.”
The partnership includes entry-level professional certificates from industry leaders such as Google, IBM, Meta, Salesforce, and Intuit, which equip learners with no college degree or prior work experience with the skills needed to enter high-demand digital jobs in areas such as IT support, UX design, social media marketing, and sales development.
“Amid rapid transformation and growing skills gaps, this strategic human capital initiative aims to drive Guyana’s competitiveness, growth, and innovation while also unlocking economic opportunity for local talent in the new digital economy. The ultimate goal of this collaboration is to enhance the country’s productivity and improve the lives of citizens by providing high-quality and worldwide tested training to access the job market,” the release added.
Those witnessing the ceremony included PSC Vice Chairman, Ryan Alexander, Chairperson of PSC’s Human Capital Sub-Committee, Luanna Persaud, Head of Government Partnerships, Coursera Inc., Mateo Samper, Education Specialist Dr. Olato Sam along with other representatives of the Private Sector and US Embassy.
