First Lady opens ICT Workshop for Region Three youths
Georgetown, Guyana – (July 10, 2018) First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger yesterday, launched yet another Information Communication Technology (ICT) training programme; this time, in the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara Region (Region Three), to provide youths with skills in the areas of information technology, literacy and numeracy, entrepreneurship, sexual reproductive health, STEM subjects, and other soft skills. The programme, which is being executed through a collaborative effort between the Office of the First Lady, the Ministry of Social Protection and the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), will run for four weeks and caters for 30 participants. Training sessions are conducted at the Leonora Secondary School, West Bank Demerara.
In brief remarks, the First Lady congratulated the participants for making the decision to be a part of the programme and told participants that the workshop does not only focus on ICT, but is also designed to prepare them for the world of work. “You are living in an age of technology and if you want to participate in a meaningful way in the world you are going to inherit, you have to have the knowledge of ICT,” she said.
Mrs. Granger also expressed her gratitude to the Ministry of Social Protection and the BIT for their continued support. “The beauty about this Board of the Industrial Training workshop is that it has a recognised certificate…This is why I want to challenge you to do your best to make yourselves employable… With the skill that you need to get ahead,” she said.
Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Richard Maughn encouraged the participants to embrace the opportunities afforded to them through the smart use of ICT to become productive citizens. “As individuals, you need to be able to make good use of information in this the age of ICT… information technology can empower your lives and it is our intention to make sure that every one of you achieve success,” he said.
Regional Executive Officer, Mr. Denis Jaikaran who also addressed the gathering, took the opportunity to thank the First Lady for her efforts to empower youths and expressed gratitude for having the programme launched in Region Three. He also pledged to award all students with a 90 per cent attendance rate, with prizes on behalf of the regional administration.
In an invited comment, participant, Ms. Tamara Dey said that the training affords her the opportunity of self-improvement and will help her to become an independent young individual “I’m hoping to gain the skill which I currently lack in information technology and I plan to use what I will learn to get employed,” she said.
Mr. Stavon David, another participant, said that he plans to use the workshop experience to enroll in a technical institute to further his education in the field of engineering.