EVERYTIME young criminals are caught and killed during their criminal forays, Opposition elements opportunistically rush to their defence; either blaming their environment, lack of opportunities; oh, and don’t forget the Government, which is the Opposition’s perennial whipping boy.

However, educational and empowerment opportunities are rife for those who want to use the legal route to self enhancement and the improvement in their fortunes.
The Thorne brothers, Kelvin and Alvin, emerged out of the bowels of Albouystown, but they used every opportunity provided by the Government for upward mobility; thus they achieved excellence in academia, won scholarships to Cuba, and today both of them are employed in high profile jobs in Government, both own their own homes, drive really nice vehicles, and their children are well provided for, with lifestyles that Kelvin and Alvin had no knowledge of during their growing up years in one of the most depressed communities in Guyana: And the story of the Thorne brothers is replicated in every corner of Guyana, including the formerly badly-neglected hinterland communities.
There is absolutely no justification for youths to pursue a life of crime for ultimate wealth-creation, because Government has a multiplicity of assistance packages, especially through the Ministry of Human Services, free uniforms, free meals and/or other sustenances to ensure Guyana’s children do not starve: Also, even school dropouts and teenage parents are given a second chance with skills development and other empowerment programmes.
But do the PNC/AFC/APNU and their satellite supporters in NGOs and the media ever point them in the right direction? The answer is a resounding “No!” They conversely send the wrong signals by defending criminals and subsuming the advantages and opportunities Government provides to the various social sectors under misleading protests and encouragement to violent behaviour and criminal activity, even encouraging anarchy by letting them think that disregarding the laws of the land is the right thing to do: As a matter of fact, they lead by example in many instances on anti-national and anti-social, even criminal behaviour.
The National Youth Skills Training Programme was launched on Friday October 22, 2010, with a centre being opened in Eccles. In his New Year’s message, that year, former President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo set a target of 4,000 youths and women to be trained or empowered in the year 2010. The then President posited that it is essential to Guyana’s development that this country should have a trained and skilled workforce that can cater to the needs of industry and commerce.
Both public and private sectors suffer from the lack of skilled employees, even while many youths are either unemployed or unemployable. The efforts of Government to address this supply of skills issue has been lauded as being in keeping with Private Sector needs.
The Board of Industrial Training was established with a mandate to provide for the promotion of Industrial Training, and the Chairman of that Board is Mr. Clinton Williams, who heads a private conglomerate.
The Board has been responsible for the training of thousands of young people through various projects in the years of its existence. In 2010, it was expected to complete training of 2,304 persons from the National Training Project for Youth Empowerment alone. The latter project has been responsible for the training and certification at the semi-skilled level of 2,922 youths up to the first quarter of 2010. Since then the numbers have multiplied significantly.
In August, Guyana became the latest country to join UNESCO’s International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, UNEVOC, which allows this country to receive much needed assistance in developing its Technical and Vocational Education systems.  There has also been an enhanced focus on making Guyana’s TVET systems more sustainable.
Technical and Vocational Education has been made available to those who were less than successful in more academic streams of education and has been of a more manual or practical nature, preparing trainees for a specific trade, occupation or vocation.  This form of education, however, is vital to industry, since many companies depend on trained or trainable graduates to provide the skills that they need.
The Private Sector has also been supporting the efforts to provide early school leavers and other unskilled youths with the opportunity to upgrade their skills and become productive members of society by offering apprenticeship schemes to enhance the nation’s skills bank.
Instead of being sympathetic, empathetic and supportive to the youthful criminals and their family members, most of whom benefit greatly from the robberies committed by the young perpetrators, the Opposition should instead encourage their supporters – young and old, to take advantage of the many opportunities being afforded by Government to the citizens – bar none, for upward mobility, because no one can be successful in life without hard work and sacrifice. It is important that the young people who will benefit from Government’s training programmes should apply themselves to the learning process. TVET programmes provide a second chance at acquiring skills that will make young people and other vulnerable, single parents, for instance, employable and it is incumbent on them to ensure that the opportunities are not wasted. There is no substitute for a good education and hard work is the key to success in any field of endeavour. Unfortunate circumstances in life that took away opportunities in one’s development are currently being addressed by Government in a multiplicity of ways. The Opposition parties and their satellite supporters should partner with Government in encouraging their supporters to utilise these opportunities, instead of opting for the pathway of crime to achieving enhanced lives and lifestyles.