TVET programmes offered in Region Three to improve with expansion of Fellowship PIC
The Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Programmes offered in Region Three will be improved as a contract was signed today for the expansion and rehabilitation of the Fellowship Practical Instruction Centre (PIC), West Bank Demerara.
The improved PIC will offer the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) Level One training in the areas of Commercial Food Preparation, Masonry/Plumbing, Electrical Installation and Furniture Making.
This is the fourth such contract to be signed under the Guyana Skills Development and Employability Project (GSDEP) funded by the Caribbean Development Bank. Similar contracts were previously signed for the expansion and rehabilitation of the Beterverwagting (East Coast Demerara), Hopetown (West Coast Berbice) and the North West District (Region One) PICs.
According to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Alfred King, it is expected that these institutions will meet the requirements to offer CVQ Level One training to students.
He said that the Ministry of Education is hopeful that the CDB project will continue to achieve the desired outcomes and that projects can be delivered on time.
Mr. King noted that outside of improving TVET infrastructure, the GSDEP has several components including capacity building of technical staff, providing scholarships for engineers and TVET instructors. He said that the GSDEP aims to improve Guyana’s capacity to deliver TVET programmes equitably across the sector.
The GSDEP Coordinator, Mr. Theron Siebs said that the idea behind the expansion and rehabilitation of the PICs is to retrofit them so that they can offer training in the aforementioned subject areas.
He said that the cost of this particular project is US$816, 021.60 and the contractor is S&K Construction and Consultancy Services and General Supplies. The project is being supervised by VIKAB Engineering Consultants Limited of Trinidad and Tobago in association with VIKAB (Guyana) Limited and Jain Consultants.
Mr. Siebs noted that VIKAB is no stranger to executing work in Guyana and has supervised the construction of over 100 schools in Guyana. He added that it is very important for that contractors and consultants to ensure that the facility meets the technical specifications outlined in the document, failing which the facility will not be accredited to offer CVQ Level One training.
Signing the contract today on behalf of the Ministry of Education was our Permanent Secretary along with Mr. Ayeni John, Architect attached to VIKAB Engineering and Ms. Keshiri Gajraj, Manager of S&K Construction and Consultancy Services and General Supplies. Work is expected to start 28 days from today.