TVET instructors equipped with new quantitative data skills
―ILO, BIT, hosted successful workshop
DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, November 21, 2019
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) instructors and curriculum developers, are now equipped and better able to use various methodologies to collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data for forecasting current and future skill requirements.
Forty-two participants received their new skills after completing a four-day workshop at Cara Lodge, Georgetown, facilitated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Protection’s Board of Industrial Training (BIT).
Speaking with the Department of Public Information (DPI), at the closing ceremony Thursday afternoon, participant and Deputy Principal (ag) of the Government Technical Institute (GTI), Tiffanie Charles-Persaud, said “the workshop has been quite informative for me, because one of the things we would seek to do at the institute is to always ensure that our trainees have the required skills that are essential to help them find employment after graduating from GTI.”
According to Deputy-Principal Charles-Persaud, the knowledge gained will be conveyed to the GTI staff to assist learners in finding employment after graduation.
One of the Board of Directors at BIT, Penelope Harris, noted her satisfaction to have been associated with the workshop. “As a participant, I would have learnt a lot about data analysis… this would assist the board in making good decisions moving forward… We know that Guyana has embraced the Green State Development Strategy, also we have the growing oil and gas economy and we want to see our people begin to prosper,” Harris commented.
Travelling from the Cayman Islands to participate in the initiative, Jermone Mc Coy explained that one of the challenges they face at home is the huge amount of work permits and high unemployment rate. He said using his new skills “we will take the data we have, use the labour demands and project them forward to build programmes that will see our youths being involved so that they can eventually make their way into the workforce”.
Meanwhile, Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BIT, Richard Maughn highlighted that based on Guyana’s current development trajectory with the new oil and gas sector and the Green State Development Strategy, there are new emerging skills and as such his department determined it necessary to conduct relevant training programmes.
Representatives from organizations such as the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), Government Technical Institute (GTI), the Ministry of Social Protection, Ministry of Business and several Non-Government Organisation (NGOs) participated in the event.
Dr. Hassan Ndahi, a Senior Specialist at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), was one of the daily facilitators.