More BIT programmes to meet labour force needs – Min Hamilton

The government is spearheading efforts to upskill Guyanese to take advantage of job opportunities in various sectors, as the country continues to experience exponential growth.

During a recent interview, Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton reemphasised the importance of designing technical and vocational training programmes to meet the demands of the labour market in every industry, as the landscape changes.

“We have to train the totality of all the persons we can train. So, those are things that are happening and that speaks specifically with how we deal with all of the sectors. This is to ensure that we have the labour force to satisfy the sectors we have,” the labour minister said.

He added that BIT also caters for persons who might not have the requisite qualifications to advance into technical institutes.

“Some may have the skillset but they are not certified and therefore, that is the role that we play.”

Importantly, the minister noted that young persons should especially pay keen attention to the needs of the labour force.

He said everything suggests there is a revolution underway with a focus on technical and vocational education in developed nations like the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Technical and vocational training will help to develop a country rapidly, the minister underscored.

He underlined the importance of creating opportunities which were not available before 2020 for the advancement of persons across Guyana.

When compared to the 1,300 to 1,500 persons trained annually during the previous administration, the BIT programme has revolutionised as over 7,500 persons have already trained over the last two years.  

New training programmes have been added that cater to the various sectors including Solar Photovoltaic systems and Fibre Optic Installation.

“We pay attention to the labour market. That informs the board on programmes that we must institute and execute around the country,” he said.

To this end, offices have been established in every region for persons desirous of participating in the programmes.

Last year, the ministry was tasked by Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo to focus on six areas and execute the programmes in Regions Two, Five, Six, and Ten.

He also stressed the importance of creating opportunities for the advancement of women across Guyana.

In an effort to improve the skill set of persons to participate in Guyana’s rapid transformation, some 7,890 persons will be trained and equipped in 2023, with some $488.5 million has been budgeted to advance and expand the work of BIT.