37 Lethem women certified in Solar Photovoltaic Technology

Thirty-seven women from Lethem have made history, as they are the first batch of women in Guyana to be certified in Solar Photovoltaic Technology following an extensive three-week training carried out by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT).

Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton, Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud, Chief Executive Officer of BIT Richard Maughn, Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Energy Agency, Dr Mahendra Sharma and Regional Chairman for Region Nine Brian Allicock attended the graduation ceremony recently.

The training aims to achieve more inclusion from women in the emerging solar energy sub-sector. It is also geared towards honing their skills when it comes to Productive Use of Energy (PUE) technology.

Minister Hamilton told the women they have overcome the challenges and they must now make use of their skills to better their lives.

“You have to make that determination. What do I do with this knowledge? The certificate is what it is, fire can destroy it, and water can damage it. Knowledge is what is important, that’s what you have acquired. You have to determine what do I do?,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Minister Persaud commended the graduates, while noting that initiatives like these are useful in reducing gender inequality in the country. 

“You will not only work on the farms but you will be the ambassadors of this programme so that we can have a ripple effect of more and more girls and women taking these kinds of opportunities to ensure that in just a few short years, your region will continue to lead the rest of the country,” she said.

BIT’s CEO also implored the women to use the skills to better themselves, their families and the country as a whole.

This is a collaborative effort between the Labour and Human Services and Social Security ministries, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).