‘No discrimination’ in training programmes – Min Hamilton

The government through the Ministry of Labour is leading efforts to upskill Guyanese to take advantage of new jobs coming on stream, as the country continues to experience unprecedented growth.

Minister, Joseph Hamilton on Friday debunked the claim that there is discrimination in the ministry’s training programmes.  The minister was at the time addressing a new batch of participants at the Charity Secondary School.

He noted that the training programmes being offered by the ministry’s- Board of Industrial Training (BIT) are opened to all Guyanese regardless of ethnicity, gender or location.

“We have some persons in this country and some who live out of Guyana who every day the only conversation they can have is about the issue of ethnicity. And I can say to you without fear of contradiction, what is happening to Charity is happening right through the length and breadth of this country. It has nothing to do with where people live, the government is doing everything possible to ensure that all our people can be trained. So, all of our people can have good paying jobs,” Minister Hamilton stated.

To this end, Minister Hamilton reiterated government’s commitment to train some 4,500 Guyanese this year, doubling the number of persons trained since returning to office in August 2020.

In 2020, some 2,000 persons were trained and in 2021, BIT trained 3,086 persons. This is demonstrative of the government’s commitment to upskill citizens.

The minister noted that this feat is a significant increase in persons trained, when compared to the 1,300 to 1,500 persons trained per year under the previous administration.

Further, Minister Hamilton said the PPP/C Administration is actively working to ensure that Guyanese in rural, hinterland and riverine communities benefit from the same services and training programmes offered on the Coast.

Meanwhile, the free training programmes being offered in the region are specialised to the demographics of the area and the needs of the people. These programmes include ICT, Commercial Food Preparation, Joinery, Heavy-duty Machinery, Electrical Installation, Welding and Fabrication.

Chairperson of Region Two, Vilma Desilva and members of the BIT technical team were also present at the exercise.

Persons interested in partaking in BIT training programmes can register at the Regional Labour Office. The only requirement is a valid form of Identification.