TWENTY-SIX students from across the regions of Guyana joined the Republic Bank 2011/2012 Youth Link Apprenticeship Programme Thursday afternoon, at the start of its fourth year, in the Pegasus Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown. The course is specifically designed to mould the apprentices in a nurturing and professional environment, in a way that will support and strengthen their transition into the world of work.
The latest batch now brings the total involved in Youth Link Apprenticeship Alumni to 92, said the Bank’s Managing Director, Mr. John Alves.
He said the initiative remains the only one of its kind offered in Guyana and has raised and set the bar for corporate social investments in this country.
“It is the hope of the bank that it will be emulated for the desired wider social change,” Alves told the participants.
He said the Bank is always looking for opportunities to make a difference, by driving community and national development in ways that will give people hope and strengthen their ability to succeed.
In this regard, the bank prepares school leavers to become successful, model employees and valuable assets to any organisation that they become a part of at the end of the apprenticeship, Alves explained.
He explained:“Over the next seven months, the Youth Link apprentices will be given the necessary tools, training, coaching and guidance, offering them an opportunity to develop an understanding of the work environment and acquire the basic marketable skills required to improve their career options.”
Alves said the programme will provide its participants with the opportunity of previewing what is expected when they enter the workforce, the unique advantage of having much sought after work experience and a perspective to inform future work ethics, relations and aspirations and, overall, to become more marketable in career pursuits.
He pointed out that the scheme is intended to guide those participating through a process of personal and professional development and will include facts which, when combined, will teach them valuable skills for their professional and social growth.

Unforgettable journey
“I assure you apprentices that the next seven months will be an unforgettable journey, during which you will evolve into socially proficient, business aware young men and women. At the same time, you will make several new acquaintances, many to whom you will remain connected for life,” Alves assured them.
He told them that to be successful, in the Youth Link Apprenticeship, every apprentice has to be involved in it and committed to its purpose.
“You will be attached to our branches and departments across our networks but, wherever you are, you will receive a uniform level of comprehensive training in business related skills and a practical insight into how and what we do at Republic Bank,“ Alves informed them.
He also advised them that, since social consciousness is an integral part of the culture at Republic Bank, a very important aspect of the Youth Link Apprenticeship Programme is ‘Care-a-Van’, which introduces the element of compassion and care for the less fortunate.
Alves said the community outreach component of the Youth Link experience has been a source of inspiration and enjoyment for past apprentices as a field trip is also a part of the experience, where the group will be afforded a full day of fun and total relaxation at a specially selected location.
He encouraged the apprentices to become a part of this experience, adding: “Have a point of attitude and a willingness to learn and you will go far.”
Alves urged them to be guided by the bank’s mission, vision and core values, as these can help them to define and understand the culture of the bank and all that drives the strategies and policies that make the organisation a stronger player in the Guyana financial sector.

Much emphasis
Also speaking on the occasion, Technical Assistant in the Education Ministry, Ms. Melcita Bovell said she sees this opportunity as timely, since it comes at a time when Guyana is placing much emphasis on developing the minds of young people in the country.
She believes the programme will assist young people in achieving their full potential in creating a more valuable Guyana.
Bovell said she is very pleased with the diverse nature of the programme that brings, to the table, a different path along the education line which goes well with the development of the sector in that regard.
It is her hope that participants, apart from the training, take in all they could, thus coming out as the people they are expected to be.
She said the dedication and commitment shown by the bank should encourage the trainees to have a desire for growth.
Bovell told the young apprentices that they have been given a two-fold task with this opportunity because they are expected to make the most of the programme and convince the management of the bank that they are capable of the task.
The programme, which was inaugurated in 2008, has proven to be successful in transforming  young lives and making them more successful in changing the community and the country at large, the sponsors said.