Miners, other forestry stakeholders to benefit from map reading, navigation course

The Guyana Mining School and Training Centre Inc. (GMSTCI) has launched a comprehensive map reading and navigation short course to equip miners with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate difficult terrain and read maps effectively.

With a focus on safety, efficiency, and cost savings, the programme will be held from March 6-17 on the first floor of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) building on Croal Street.

It will edify miners on the interpretation of topographic maps, Global Positioning System (GPS), and navigation with a GPS receiver, among others.

Senior Training Instructor at GMTCI, Tracy Lall, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the course was conceptualised by previous administrators of the centre, following a study conducted around 2012.

The study, which aimed to identify pressing needs in the mining sector, highlighted several skill gaps in the sector, including in the areas of map reading and navigation.

“The GPS is an instrument that miners, specifically, have a direct need for, which is why we focus on the use of the GPS. Because that is an instrument that they use every day, readily, for their tasks. From locating their claims to marking the coordinates of their dredges, their camps, even to the landing, to help them with their navigation, which is a very handy and useful tool for that purpose,” Lall explained.

Not only is the course useful for miners and prospective miners, but multiple persons in the forestry sector also benefit from the course.

“When you are out there on the job, there are not a lot of landmarks. It is so dense, so compact, and it can all look like the same thing. So, this is why we rely on the GPS, to help us move from one point to another,” Lall explained.

She noted that map reading is important in the natural resources sector, as it displays a two-dimensional (2D) representation of the earth.

As such, the course aims to edify all its participants on the types of coordinates a map can display, how to record coordinates from presented maps, how to put them into a GPS, and how to use those coordinates to guide their navigation.

“In these types of courses, you focus not so much on the written, or the classroom setting, but it’s meant to be more practical. So, when people are doing these courses, they will be practicing all the time. So, it’s as if they are in a real-life working environment,” she added.

The course will cater to miners across all regions and will be provided to participants free of cost.

While miners are the target of the initiative, all persons interested in learning map reading and navigation are welcome to apply.

This can be done by calling the Guyana Mining School and Training Centre Inc. (GMSTCI) at +592-225-2862 or emailing them at mining_school@ggmc.gov.gy.

Classes will be held from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm daily.