Think outside the box – Minister Hamilton urges women pursuing BIT programmes

Women are being encouraged to participate in more non-traditional training programmes offered by the Ministry of Labour’s Board of Industrial Training (BIT).

Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton, M.P, is pushing to ensure women are participating in the free technical programmes being offered by BIT. To this end, it has reduced the number of cosmetology programmes being offered in various areas, as a way of encouraging women to ‘think outside the box’.

Six women and three men hailing from Wakapoa village graduated from BIT’s solar installation training programme.   The females are utilising the skills attained to help enhance their communities.  The participants from that programme retrofitted their community centre with solar lights, and put in the electrical wiring to ensure community members can use the centre at nights.

At the graduation ceremony at the Anna Regina Regional Labour Office, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) on Friday, the minister highlighted that 52 percent of the population are women, as he reiterated government’s commitment to upskill both men and women for opportunities that exist in the country.

“I have put an embargo in some places across this country on cosmetology because there is only so many you can give. I have put an embargo because I want to direct women into jobs where real money exists … Every programme that we run, women have to permanently be placed in them and women you have to think outside of the box. Do not let people guide you only to do hair and nails, you could do more than that,” said Minister Hamilton.

While in the region, Minister Hamilton visited St. Monica Mission to receive a boat that was made by several women who were participants of a boat construction programme. The boat will aid labour officers to commute the riverine communities in Region Two to deliver ministerial services.

Meanwhile, Kelcia Miguel who assisted in the construction of the boat expressed eagerness to apply her newly acquired skills.

“I feel really excited because now I could go about and say I know certain skills and techniques about boat building because being in the boat building programme, I have learned certain things.”

She further encouraged women to take part in more technical programmes.

“I think that the government should get females involved in jobs that men can because we can do same thing that men can do if we put our self or if the government give us the opportunity to do it. I would like women to participate in these projects more because we have the ability to do it.”

The ministry will be soon be introducing joinery in the logging community of St. Monica.