Another 91 Mahdia residents graduate from BIT programmes

A total of 91 residents of Mahdia, Region Eight received certificates in heavy-duty equipment operation, welding and fabrication, and cosmetology, among other technical areas through the Ministry of Labour’s Board of Industrial Training (BIT).

The programmes are aimed at empowering residents, enabling them to secure employment or pursue entrepreneurship opportunities. The graduation ceremony was held last Friday at Mahdia Secondary School.

Minister Joseph Hamilton underlined that the government continues to inject the necessary resources countrywide for persons to be upskilled with various technical and vocational skills to take advantage of the job prospects in all sectors.

He noted that the training in Mahdia is also part of the administration’s quest to bridge the gap between the coastland and hinterland regions, ensuring equitable access to the country’s resources and developmental opportunities.

“Over the period 2022, we have expended in your community $8.2 million to train some 85 persons. In the region, we spent $12.6 million, and another $1.5 million at Kato. We spent another $1.4 million at Paramakatoi and another $1.4 at Kurukubari,” the labour minister pointed out.

He said being multi-skilled is integral in today’s society and with the knowledge comes endless opportunities.

“I would hope that you recognise that you cannot have the knowledge and sit down with it, you have to take the knowledge and utilise it to empower and develop yourself and to ensure you can feed yourself. That is what it is about, which is to develop yourself.”

This is the second batch of residents in the region to receive BIT certification in various areas.

Deputy Regional Executive Officer, Louis Kilkenny, Regional Technical Officer, Jermaine Geness, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Natecia Garraway, and Technical Officer, Rohan Bishop were also in attendance.