Gov’t allocates $420 M to train 1,000 Guyanese for oil and gas sector

Budget 2022, Guyana’s most historical and transformational thus far, invests massively in all aspects of the country’s development. For the oil and gas sector, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government has allocated a whopping $420.5 million to train 1,000 for the lucrative industry.

In his budget presentation on Wednesday, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for finance, Dr. Ashni Singh said the $420.5 million allocation will be used to upskill Guyanese in a wide range of areas relevant to the sector.

“Under this programme, training and certification will be provided to welders, stevedores, heavy vehicle operators, and others. This programme will continue into the medium-term and will see up to 4,500 persons trained over the next four years,” the Senior Minister outlined during his budget presentation.

A Guyanese welder from Guyana Oil and Gas Support Services Incorporated

Furthermore, he said government will be partnering with the private sector to establish a Guyana Technical Training College with a campus at Port Mourant that will incorporate the renowned GuySuCo Port Mourant Training School. The facility will also add new training facilities for oil and gas, as well the tourism and hospitality sectors.

The establishment of the training school is something His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali had spoken extensively about in the past.

Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat, during an interview with the DPI last year, had said there will be jobs for maids and cooks in the hospitality sector. This is a spin-off benefit from the oil and gas sector. 

Notably, in December 2020, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) approved a US$11 million (approximately GY$2.3 billion) loan for the development of a Tourism and Hospitality Institute in Guyana.  This is in keeping with the PPP/C Administration’s plans to ensure a diversified and robust economy.

“We would have seen already the services sector, the hotel accommodation, transportation and all these sectors would benefit tremendously from the oil and gas sector. And, we also have to focus on that too to ensure that we train people to deal with, for example, tourists, business executives. We need more accommodation in our country. We need more professional services in terms of transportation,” he had said. Importantly, an initial $260 million is budgeted to commence works at the Guyana Technical Training College in 2022.

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