As part of government’s push to improve work skills nationwide, 45 persons have graduated from a navigation and map-reading course under the umbrella of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MoNR).
A MoNR release said that through the Guyana Mining School and Training Centre (GMSTCI), it has provided training to 45 young professionals in a global positioning system (GPS) navigation and map-reading course. They were issued their certificates on Wednesday at a ceremony at the YMCA Building on Croal Street, Georgetown, where the attendees included senior officers of the ministry and other government agencies, as well as professionals in the field.
According to the release, during the training programme which ran for seven working days, the participants were exposed to strategies to effectively and correctly read and interpret maps. They were taught about extracting the coordinates of marked locations from the map; placing points on the map at identified coordinates; determining the distances on a map, as well as the ability to analyse various aspects of the terrain. They were also exposed to learning the foundations of GPS tracking and navigation such as its function, components, sources of errors, proper maintenance of the GPS receiver and the latest technologies and trends in the field. The training also focussed on developing their practical skills such as orienteering, plotting coordinates, and reading topographic maps.
The release noted that the GMSTCI mandate is to help persons upskill themselves by offering a number of courses. Further, based on discussions at the last National Toshaos Council’s (NTC) meeting, and in partnership with the Indigenous body, the training college sought to upskill indigenous residents to become Community Rangers through the Community Ranger Programme. The objective of this programme, it explained, is aimed at monitoring Amerindian lands where mining activity takes place. These rangers report directly to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
Looking ahead, GMSTCI intends to roll out jewellery-making programmes in partnership with the E R Burrowes School of Art, as well as offer training in utilising non-mercury methods for the recovery of gold. This plan is in keeping with the National Action Plan on the reduction of mercury use in gold mining, the release added.
Persons needing information on the programmes and courses offered by GMSTCI, can visit its Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/GMSTCI
