As Guyana’s skills needs continue to grow in response to the demands of what has become an oil and gas-driven development trajectory, the role of the state-run Board of Industrial Training (BIT) is assuming an increasingly important role in the wider national response to those skills needs.
Created in 1910 under the Industrial Act (Cap 39:04), the Board, from its inception, was assigned the task of monitoring the formal technical and vocational education and training needs of the country and providing the requisite training needs in keeping with the perceived requirements.
These days, and in keeping with the particular skills training needs of the country, BIT seeks to focus on the delivery of a Technical and Vocational Education & Training (TVET) curriculum that is particularly responsive to the country’s labour force needs in the industrial sector. Simultaneously, the Board is charged with performing the regulatory functions that apply to apprenticeship schemes, which assignment includes the issuance of certificates that attest to the competence of the ‘graduates’ from the training programmes.