TWENTY-NINE apprentices are about to embark upon an opportunity of a lifetime, which will see them successfully transitioned from a school into a work environment.The event at reference was the launch on Friday of Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited’s ninth annual ‘Youth Link Apprenticeship Programme’ at a simple ceremony at the Herdmanston Lodge in Queenstown.

The programme is geared to guide the apprentice through a process and professional growth, and includes facets that, when combined, will teach the youths valuable skills for professional and social development so as to allow them to be more marketable in their career pursuit.

The bank’s Managing Director, Richard Sammy said that since its launch in October 2008, the programme has benefitted some 213 students, drawn from secondary schools all across Guyana.

According to Republic Bank in a press release, the programme is registered with the Council for Technical and Vocational Education (CTVET), and offers and delivers competency-based education (CBE) certification, as well as a unique experience that contributes towards building successful societies.

The strategy used to train apprentices, the Bank says, is the modern, internationally recognised competency-based modularised training, and trainees will be assessed in classroom sessions and on-the-job performance by Republic Bank trainers and assessors who have been trained and certified by CTVET.

They will, for the next seven months, be afforded the necessary tools and coaching through practical and theoretical aspects of banking.

Sammy encouraged the current batch of apprentices to be actively involved and committed to the programme in order to be successful.

The programme includes community care as they participate in the “Youth Link Care-A-Van” designed to foster social awareness, empathy, respect, and care for the less fortunate.

They will also participate in field trips, in which they can enjoy a fun-filled and relaxing retreat at a special location, providing opportunity for research building and teamwork, and opportunity to learn about country.

Delivering the feature address, Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott encouraged participants to make use of the opportunity that is being offered to them through the programme.

He told them that the experience they are about to gain will allow them to play an integral role in the development of the nation.