45 youths from Lusignan and surrounding areas benefit from ICT training

Forty-five youths from Lusignan and surrounding communities on Saturday graduated from an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) programme which seeks to ensure youths in every community are computer literate.

This training initiative is being undertaken by the Office of the Prime Minister, through the Industry and Innovation Unit.

Speaking at the ceremony held at the Lusignan Community Center, East Coast Demerara, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony said ITC programmes are of the utmost importance in a digitised world, especially to young people.

“You living in this digitised age, you will have to learn how to differentiate what is good stuff from what is bad stuff and if you’re able to do that, then you’d be able to thrive in this digitised age that we are living in,” the minister said.

Minister Anthony noted that ICT has constantly improved the way of life for many people. He urged the graduating batch to positively use the internet as a means of gaining more knowledge about what they have learnt through the programme.

“The power of what ICT has been doing, it has been constantly improving people’s lives, it has been making people more interconnected…

When you go on the internet you also have to look at maybe how you can use the internet to improve yourself,” minister Anthony related.

Meanwhile, Director of Industry and Innovation Unit, Shahrukh Hussain said the mandate of the unit is to bridge the digital divide in communities across the country. He appealed to the youths to continue learning about ICT as it is necessary for the future.

“While I am proud of all of you, it is my appeal that you do not stop here, but rather carry on with this enthusiasm and remember ICT is the future…continue the hard work and continue the drive that you have today, to be the innovators of tomorrow,” Hussain said.

The youths were taught basic knowledge of information technology, coding and robotics.

In an invited comment, some of the graduates relayed their experience during the five -day training programme.

Kamichael Pane said he will use the knowledge as a stepping stone to further his education. “So far I grasp somethings that I didn’t know before, I get to learn new stuff and probably it could help me later down when I’m going to UG,” he said.

Another ICT graduand, Racheal Mohanram related, “it would benefit me because I didn’t really have much experience in the ICT area so being here is very beneficial and I would say it would help me in the future.