Banks DIH. eyeing Technical Institute
– President David Granger lauds initiative
– 15 technical institutions awarded at ceremony
DPI, Guyana, Thursday, February 13, 2020
A private Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institution may soon be on the horizon according to Clifford Reis, Chairman, Banks DIH Limited.
Reis was at the time speaking at a celebration of education hosted by the corporate giant in conjunction with Guyana’s 50th Republic Anniversary.
The Chairman touted the institution as one which is still in the initial ‘discussion’ phase but that the plans can soon be realised.
(centre) His Excellency, President David Granger, Banks DIH Chairman, Clifford Reis(right), Human Resources/Trisco Director, Paul Carto (left) along with the recipients.
Supporting the initiative was His Excellency President David Granger, who described technical, vocational and science education as the centre of transformative change in Guyana’s economy.
The President regards technical education as the means to equip students with skills needed for them to function in the modern workforce. To this end, he highlighted the significant measures taken to ensure education in Guyana continues to substantially improve.
Citing teacher training, digital learning, the construction of new schools and the bridging of the education gap between hinterland and coastal students, President Granger revealed that there are now over 250,000 students currently in school.
As such, the Government of Guyana will continue to pursue every opportunity to ensure that by the end of the Decade of Development, no eligible young Guyanese will be classified as ‘not in education, employment and training (NEET).
Among the institutions celebrated today were the Carnegie School of Home Economics, the Essequibo Technical Institute, the Government Technical Institute, the Linden Technical Institute, the New Amsterdam Technical Institute, the Guyana Industrial Training Centre, the Kuru Kuru Training Centre, the Mahaicony Technical and Vocational Centre, the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre, the Sophia Training Centers,
FORCE-GRECO Training Centre, GuySuCo Training Centre, the Mashabo Primary School, Burnham Education Scholarship Trust (BEST), and STEM Guyana.
Adding that corporate communities should consider establishing their own colleges of science and technology to recruit, retain or re-orient graduates, President Granger emphasised that training human resources is paramount to developing the country.
“The corporate community functions in a highly competitive and rapidly changing environment. It must be able to keep abreast with the pace of change and become more innovative if it is to increase its earnings,” the President said. “The corporate community can support academic excellence by offering bursaries, grants and scholarships as a means of inculcating this value within society.”
Reis noted that education is an essential tool to be used to scribe a bright future for Guyanese and that it provides the capacity to resolve problems in society.
With over 1500 staff members, Banks DIH strives to maintain its commitment to building on traditions of excellence.