BIT’s training geared to meet future industry needs, but more resources needed – Chairman
Georgetown, GINA, July 18, 2016
The Board of Industrial Training (BIT) through its National Training Programme for Youth Empowerment (NTPYE) continues to churn out skilled persons, but to ensure the programme’s continued success, more resources are needed, BIT’s Chairman, Clinton Williams said.
Chairman of the Board of Industrial Training Clinton Williams addressing graduates of the Upper Corentyne Industrial Training Center/BIT Youth Empowerment Programme
Williams recently told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that resources are needed, especially with the advent of competency-based training. “The context and concept is to train to perform, and then give you the theory after. We need to get instructors that are competent enough to deliver this for us.”
The chairman said the BIT programmes are geared to meet the future needs of local industries.
Williams pointed out that the programmes have been implemented with great success in all of the Administrative Regions except Region 8. This region, he said, will have a specially geared programme to suit the skills needed in its mainly mining communities.
“Mining communities require heavy equipment operators. A programme in that region will start with that aspect of the training, and then we will go on to other things.”
The Board Chairman dispelled the notion that vocational training is geared mainly towards those who have successfully completed a basic grammar school (literacy) programme and attracts mainly males. One aspect of classes taught is the upgrading of literacy skills across the board. Williams told GINA that the ratio of females to males is 55:45 across the board for the approximately 20,000 youths trained thus far.
The training offered is also centered on equipping youths with what the job market demands, Williams further noted. “What is important now is what could get you a better job, with better benefits.”
The training programme is expected to generate, according to Williams, approximately 1,600 trained youths this year. This will bring the total number of skilled youths to around 22,000 since the programme began in in 2006.
On July 13, 182 youths graduated from the third NTPYE at the Upper Corentyne Industrial Training Center. The programme saw participants trained in areas of Engineering, Information Technology, Automotive repairs, Management, Garment Constructions, Carpentry and other skills.