Manpower Agency, UNHCR working to upskill, integrate migrants into workforce

Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton said Wednesday that the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA) and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) will make collaborative efforts to upskill and integrate Venezuelan migrants into the labour force.

He made the statement during a visit to Region Eight to assess the ongoing Board of Industrial Training (BIT) programmes there.

He outlined that in this case, there are three sets of migrants-Guyanese who left and have returned to Guyana, the children of those persons, and naturally-born Venezuelans. 

He spoke of plans to utilise the CRMA as part of the framework to integrate migrants into the workforce.

“We have pointed UNHCR to the job board, because they have regular interactions with the migrants, and we have also pointed the Venezuelan ambassador to the job board, so that can be utilised. We still have walk-in services for persons who may not have the facilities to utilise the job board. CRMA will also work in collaboration with BIT to ensure that people are facilitated coming out of the training,” he said.

Minister Hamilton noted that the premier tactic is to find a job while waiting for the one that better suits one’s qualifications.

“CRMA will continue to influence, coach, and counsel persons to be employed while they are looking for the job that is in line with their specific qualifications or training.”

Minister Hamilton also disclosed that as it relates to achieving CVQ accreditation for the BIT programmes, there is need to transform classrooms to facilitate this process.

“The accreditation of the programmes can only come based on the number of classrooms that qualify for the training. So, there are a lot of things we have to do as a country.”

He also divulged that persons involved in the Prior Learning Assessment Programme will have to be brought into the fold to be certified and accredited as well. The minister was accompanied by Region Eight Technical Officer, Jermaine Geness, several OSH officers, and other officials of the labour ministry on his visit.