As part of its efforts to create jobs and reduce unemployment throughout the country with the support of the private sector, the Government of Guyana partnered with a business process outsourcing (BPO) company to host a job fair in Region Ten.
According to a release from the Ministry of Finance last week, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh; Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of G-Invest, Dr Peter Ramsaroop; Global Patient Contact Centre Manager of Prochant, Timothy Beasley, were among those who attended a job fair hosted by Prochant, a US-headquartered BPO company, in partnership with the Government of Guyana, at the Watooka Guest House in Linden, Region Ten.
The job fair allows persons in the mining town and other communities in Region Ten, to benefit from training opportunities through Prochant Guyana in partnership with Government, and subsequent employment with the company.
Prochant is a global company in operation for over 25 years with over 2,500 global employees working specifically in the US healthcare industry focused on medical billing and revenue cycle. It plans to employ 100 persons by the first half of 2025 with the objective of ramping up further. Following training, persons can pursue career opportunities in the areas of patient interactive services, referral interactive services and accounts receivable services.
Speaking to the over 600 persons in attendance, including Lindeners and officials of Prochant, Singh officially welcomed Prochant to Guyana, and urged them to ramp up their operations here. He expressed the hope that the US company will expand further and employ thousands of Guyanese in Region Ten and elsewhere in the country.
“This is not a one-off or isolated occurrence. When we [PPP/C Government] came back into government, one of the first visits I made was to the call centre location and said at that time this building must be renovated and brought into operation. We did and completed renovation of operations,” Singh explained. He added that the Guyanese company, Midas BPO, was brought in and commenced operations. He lauded the efforts of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the former Midas Call Centre, Malcolm Sobers, who he said played an integral role in resuscitating the call-centre in Linden in 2021.
The Senior Minister pointed out that over time, government has recognised the constant changes in the information communications technology sector, and as such, the need to evolve the model of the call-centre from an entry level one providing telemarketing services to a contact centre, to providing more value-added jobs. Thus, through involvement and leadership provided by government and G-Invest, an international partner was sought to create those value-added jobs.
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, who also spoke at the job fair, encouraged persons to seize the training opportunities provided through government in partnership with Prochant and when employed, to work diligently as the success of the initiative would depend on the quality of work put in.
Meanwhile, Global Patient Contact Centre Manager of Prochant, Timothy Beasley, thanked government for its support in aiding the establishment of the company’s presence in Guyana, as well as its support towards training while also pledging to ensure that 100 persons are employed by the first half of 2025.
In recent months, two BPOs have signalled plans to leave the Guyana market.
