BIT graduates another batch of youth in Lethem

Some 100 young persons from Lethem, Region Nine, graduated over the weekend from skills training programmes undertaken by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT).

The capacity – building initiative was a collaborative effort among the Ministry of Labour, BIT and the Mayor and Town Council of Lethem.

Persons were trained in the areas of Information Technology, garment construction, catering and cake decoration, joinery and heavy-duty equipment operation (HDEO).

Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, M.P, in brief remarks, told the graduates that the ceremony fulfilled the PPP/C Government’s manifesto promise to provide equitable opportunities like training programmes to those residing in the hinterland and coastal regions.

He added that since assuming office in August 2020, the need for restructuring BIT was evident and necessary to help increase the number of skilled persons in Guyana, as it was not operating at its full capacity.

“I believe that in the next five years, a person with one skill or talent will be a dying breed; therefore, as good as you are in whatever skill or training you have… you better become multi-skilled and multi-talented, as one skill will not work (in today’s society),” the labour minister said.

He stressed that, “the certificates that you collect will be useless unless you perfect the training that you have received and that is in your hands. Our role is to help, but at the end of the day, it is you that will have or will want to take yourself further.”

BIT’s CEO Richard Maughn commended the graduates for completing the programmes offered by the institution adding that equipping oneself with the requisite knowledge and skills to be gainfully employed is necessary.

“Training helps individuals to rise to a higher status; social status but it is up to you to rise as training helps empower you to achieve your dream. It is one thing to have a dream, it is one thing to have latent talents that have been untapped and it is another thing to have talents developed via training,” he said.

His Worship, Mayor of Lethem, John Macedo said that, “we understand and we know the situation that exists among our people here, and we know that this can be the start of a journey for many of you who will use the knowledge that you would have gained in this training, to build careers now, and even share your knowledge with others.”

To this end, Macedo thanked the minister and by extension, the government for providing training programmes such as BIT’s.