The Board of Industrial Training (BIT) on Friday, held a graduation ceremony at the New Amsterdam Town Hall for 187 persons who successfully completed training in over 21 occupational areas under the National Training Project for the Youth Empowerment (NTPYE).

BIT offers six months of free training for persons aged 16-20 years for all the courses and for Heavy Duty Operators in the 18-35 years age range. The training was done at 28 locations in Berbice which catered for school drop outs and unemployed persons.  Some of the disciplines encompassed Mechanics, Joinery, Auto Electrical, and Auto Body Repair.
BIT collaborated with the Ministry of Health to train persons at the Health Centres and hospitals who have the pre-requisites.
For the first time the Heavy Duty Equipment Operator Programme was offered in the New Amsterdam area with the training conducted at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute. Thirty- nine persons graduated in this aspect. Fifty operators were trained before in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) at the Upper Corentyne Industrial Centre.
The trainees were also exposed to life skills training in areas such as Basic Mathematics, English, Micro Enterprise, Sexual and Reproductive Health/ Gender Based Violence.
Minister of Labour, Dr. Nanda Gopaul congratulated the students for their dedication they have shown noting that they can now be fully employed.
He added that the Government of Guyana has been addressing Spanish and other foreign languages to be available in all schools. “The government has made significant improvement in the schools all over the country and the improvement in the villages in the hinterland,” the minister offered.
Dr Gopaul said government has made it possible for everyone to be able to achieve education, even allowing students in Guyana to further their studies in countries overseas.
BIT’s project coordinator Mrs. Coreen Connelly expressed happiness for all the students who were successful and said that she was very proud to be associated with the programme because it empowers young men and women.