The Board of Industrial Training (BIT) on Friday, held a graduation ceremony at the New Amsterdam Town Hall for 187 persons who successfully completed training in more than 21 occupational areas under the National Training Project for the Youth Empowerment (NTPYE).
BIT offers six months of free training for persons aged 16-20 years in various courses and for heavy-duty operators in the 18 to 35 years age range.
The training was done at 28 locations in Berbice, and catered for school dropouts and unemployed persons. Some of the courses encompassed mechanic, joinery, auto electrical, and auto body repair work.
BIT collaborated with the Health Ministry to train persons at the health centres and hospitals which have the prerequisites.
For the first time, the heavy duty equipment operator programme was offered in the New Amsterdam area, with the training conducted at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute.
Thirty-nine graduated from this programme. Fifty operators were trained before in Region Six at the Upper Corentyne Industrial Centre. The trainees were also exposed to life skills training in areas such as basic mathematics, English, micro-enterprise, sexual and reproductive health, and gender-based violence.
Labour Minister Dr Nanda Gopaul expressed congratulations to the students for the dedication they have shown, noting that they can now be fully employed.
He added that the government of Guyana has been working to ensure Spanish and other foreign languages are available in all schools.
“The government has made significant improvement in the schools all over the country and the improvement in the villages in the hinterland.”
Minister Gopaul said government has made it possible for everyone to get education, even allowing students in Guyana to further their studies in overseas.
BIT project coordinator Coreen Connelly expressed happiness for all the students who were successful, and said that she was very proud to be associated with the programme because it empowers young men and women, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.