OVER 90 trainees under the non-residential Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training (YEST) programme conducted at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport’s Sophia Training Centre are on attachment to various agencies, in an effort to complete their practical training in various subject areas.
The YEST programme, which started eight years ago,  seeks to provide opportunities for youths to develop their talents in cultural activities, sports and confidence building, and entrepreneurial skills through practice, in order that they become well-rounded individuals.
Some of the courses offered include: catering, office administration, information technology, refrigeration, AC repairs, welding, fabrication, handicraft and masonry.
Assistant Director of Youth, Devanand Ramdatt, in a recent interview with the Government Information Agency, noted that the students are currently attached to the Guyana Defence Force, Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Fire Service, Carnegie School of Home Economics, and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, among other agencies, where they are putting into practice, the theory they would have learnt.
He added that upon successful completion of the attachment process, the students would be graduating in November, as they would be fully equipped with a new set of skills, making them more marketable in the world of work.
Since the introduction of the programme, many students from across the nation have benefited, since they have been able to acquire meaningful employment.