-Labour Minister
MINISTER of Labour  Manzoor Nadir says government has provided the requisite training and necessary tools that will allow single parents to make their contribution to national wealth. Minister Nadir was addressing single parents who had gathered at the Umana Yana recently to uplift economic assistance grants provided by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.
Over 200 single parents were trained through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) after placing their names on the Single Parent Register.
The graduands, who were recently trained in child-friendly jobs including cosmetology, garment manufacturing and catering, will each receive $65,000 worth of equipment in their respective areas of training.
“In August 2008, the Single Parent Register was initiated and we requested from you the kind of assistance you required,” the Labour Minister said.

He noted that almost 2,000 registrants requested training in child-friendly jobs while others appealed for assistance with daycare expenses.

Minister Nadir said the parents are now well trained and have been provided with the technical equipment to pursue their respective professions.

“National wealth does not drop from heaven but it comes from the contributions made by every single citizen.”

The minister made reference to the Australian Government which distributed a sizeable amount of cash to its needy citizens in confidence that the money would not be spent on conspicuous consumption but would be invested into the economy, driving demand for goods upwards and eventually creating a snowball effect.

“Guyana has not done that but has trained its single parents so that they can make a livelihood,” Minister Nadir said.

He advised the single parents to use the money wisely to assist their families, thereby developing their communities and contributing to the economic expansion of the country.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) Alana Brassington said they were given a target of 250 parents and placed nearly 400 in training.
After several drop-outs, the board was still able to train 372 single parents.
Brassington stated that the parents were exposed to sessions of entrepreneurship, occupational health and safety and the benefit of cooperatives and labour laws.

She advised the parents that marketing themselves is crucial to the sustenance of their respective businesses.
“You have the scope out there…Lots of persons don’t like to go to salons and wait, they prefer to have the person come to their homes,” Brassington mentioned.
Government has made good on yet another promise and has budgeted $50M this year for single parents who requested different types of assistance including daycare expenses and job training.