AT the launch of Republic Bank’s 2012/2013 Youth Link Apprenticeship Programme on Monday, Chief Education Officer Olato Sam described the programme as speaking well of the Bank’s recognition of its corporate responsibility.

“How wonderful it would be if we had about twenty of these kinds of programmes spread across the country,” he said.
He added that the programme is very good for development of young people, because many of them emerge from their secondary experience trapped in a state where “it is very hard for them to define who they are, where they’re going, and how they will get to their ultimate destination”.
According to Sam, programmes such as these enable the young people to make sense of the world.
He applauded the efforts of Republic Bank, noting that the degree of social consciousness in the programme is essential for Guyana’s development and to move the nation forward.
Sam remarked that the education theory would have taught us over time that many of the skills and knowledge that would change most of our lives are actually gathered through mostly non-formal and informal settings.
Addressing the twenty-nine apprentices that were gathered at the ceremony, Sam said the only thing that will set them apart at the end of the programme is their attitude – how they respond to what they have being given. He noted that along with the skills and knowledge they will be able to gain, the programme also provides an enabling environment to develop good attitudes.
Sam urged those gathered to feel free to contact the Ministry of Education for any assistance they may need in the execution of this programme.