-to assist in creation of opportunities for decent employment
The Education Ministry has embarked on yet another landmark initiative, which will see the school’s curriculum being further expanded with the introduction of entrepreneurship education, aimed at creating boundless job/career opportunities for Guyana’s youths. A five-day workshop on Entrepreneurship Education for Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutes was yesterday launched by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The workshop at the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD) is expected to assist in the creation of opportunities for decent employment through training.
Education Minister Shaik Baksh, in his feature address, emphasised that the initiative, which materialised after a review of programmes at technical institutes over the last two years, is expected to significantly boost entrepreneurship skills in Guyana.
“If there is one thing that should come out of today’s proceedings is getting the private sector integrally involved in entrepreneurship education and training, since this initiative is testimony to the kind of commitment the ILO has in Guyana,” he said.
This year, a programme will commence targeting secondary school students who have written the CSEC education and are prepared to leave school to be trained, since entrepreneurship training is important to ensuring that businesses succeed.
“It is a very important step we are taking in the education system, since it will aid in the increase of income and create wealth, eliminating poverty in Guyana,” he said.
The minister also called on the private sector to assist in the monitoring of the programme to ensure its success.
Citing the need for expansion in the sector, he said that this year, a comprehensive TVET model will be implemented and this will see a pool of resource personnel being made available to provide service in Guyana.
Work is also moving apace through assistance from the Caribbean Development Bank for the upgrade of the Carnegie School of Home Economics into a hospitality training institute. This is to ensure that skills are made available to support Guyana’s thriving tourism sector.
Minister Baksh added that a programme will also be embarked upon jointly with the private sector to convert the Kuru Kuru Cooperative College into an Entrepreneurship Development Institute which will offer certificate and diploma programmes.

ILO representative, Dr. Hassan Bata Ndahi, giving an overview of the workshop, said that it will enable teachers to implement entrepreneurship training at schools so as to better assist students in developing business attitudes.
Noting that the ILO, since its inception in 1919, has placed enhanced emphasis on areas of employment, he said that to date, this concept has not changed.

President of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookhoo, lauding the government for the initiative, said that the administration has moved in the right direction, since training can produce viable entrepreneurs.

“The future of the economy is dependent on future entrepreneurs, and as such, the private sector is willing to assist in any way possible,” Dookhoo said.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED), Yesu Persaud, while lauding the move by government called for additional avenues to be provided to stimulate business creation.
The workshop will deal with entrepreneurship, micro-teaching, how to find a good business idea; and how to elaborate on a business plan. (GINA)