BIT, GYSBI to develop pilot apprenticeship programme
Guyanese interested in the oil and gas industry could soon contribute to the sector as government mulls the development of an apprenticeship programme with the Guyana Shore Base Incorporated (GYSBI).This was revealed Friday by Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton during a meeting with Deputy General Manager of GYSBI Rabin Chandrapal and management of the shore base facility on Friday.
The minister was accompanied by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) Richard Maughn.
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study.
BIT and GYSBI will engage in further development of the programme to advance the skill sets of Guyanese.
“We take men who are green so to speak, and we take them through a welding programme…. that programme last for four months and so we have to take them beyond that. And, so, we look for partners who can have them gain that experience within the work environment to take them to develop themselves to that place, to participate in oil and gas and so that is something we can explore and see how it can be done together with you.”
Minister Hamilton said Guyana, in preparation for the booming economy and development is seeking collaboration with private companies involved in the oil and gas industry to have persons trained on the job.
“I said to the BIT CEO and the Permanent Secretary, bring a list of companies in the oil and gas industry and let me make some selections and write a letter outlining what we’ve been doing and seek collaboration on how they can subscribe, how they can complement and supplement what you’re doing.
“Of the companies we sent letters to, you [GYSBI] would be the first company that is offering the type of support we sought,” Minister Hamilton told the representatives of GYSBI.
This is in keeping with the government’s commitment to advance the skill sets of Guyanese to meet the labour demand in the booming oil and gas sector. Meanwhile, Chandrapal commended the work of the ministry and BIT and assured of the company’s support toward the work of the training institutions.