40 graduate in basic skills training in Reg. 5

─ skilled in joinery and floral decorations

DPI, Guyana, Saturday, August 24, 2019

Forty secondary school students in Region 5, Mahaica-Berbice, have graduated with skills in which they can now use to earn income.

The joinery and floral decoration training programmes were organised by the School’s Welfare Section of the Department of Education in Region 5 ran from August 7 – 21. The graduation ceremony was held in the compound of the Regional Administration at Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice.

The guest speaker, Chief Education Officer-Technical Assistant in the Ministry of Education, Patrick Chinedu Onwuzirike, in his address, decried the notion that technical education was the fall back for students who were not academically inclined. He emphatically told the graduates: “Skills are wealth!”

Chinedu disclosed that of the estimated 160,000 new jobs that will be created in Guyana in the new year, 80% will be skilled-based. He said: “Guyana is changing. Soon you may have two or three degrees but still not get jobs in the new economy because your qualifications are academic rather than skill-based.”

He urged the graduates to give Technical and Vocational Educational Training (TVET) a try and by these means ensure that they acquire a good life in the changing economy of the country.

A section of the gathering at the graduation ceremony

Some of the decorations for home and special events produced

[In the photo, at right] Patrick Chinedu Onwuzirike with senior education officials of the Department in Region 5 with some female graduates

Some products from the joinery class

[In the photo, at right] Patrick Chinedu Onwuzirike with senior education officials of the Department in Region 5 with some male graduates and some of their products

Member of Parliament, Hon. Jennifer Wade, Regional Education Officer (REdO), Deon Lewis, and Deputy Regional Executive Officer, Sherwin Wellington were the other speakers who congratulated the students and urged them to further hone their news skills and out them to good use.

Coordinator of the programme, Senior Welfare Officer of the Department of Education, Gloria Davidson- James disclosed that it is the second such initiative to be held by the Regional Welfare Department and the event is an annual feature.

Resource persons for the programme were Dillon Edwards and Avery Alfred of the Practical Instruction Centre at Hopetown Village West Coast of Berbice for joinery and  Cenica Grant for floral arrangements.

Antony Gordon of Belladrum Secondary School was identified as an outstanding graduate in the joinery classes while Tricia James and Okela McAlmont of Bush Lot Secondary were among the outstanding students in the floral decoration programme.  All the graduates received certificates for completing the training.