THE Board of Industrial Training (BIT), in collaboration with the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), through the Ministry of Finance, on Wednesday graduated 27 persons who completed training in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Office Procedures conducted at the Buxton Information Technology Training Centre.

The centre was furnished with 15 computers for the training programme that encompassed introduction to Microsoft Office and Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Output, and computer repairs and networking.
This graduation ceremony was the fourth, with the three others held at Enmore, Port Mourant and Bath. The seven-week training session included classroom discussions, and questions and answers, along with six exams and one final exam.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony which took place at the newly built Tipperary Hall, Buxton, Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, emphasised that the government believes that every single Guyanese must be given the opportunity to realise his or her potential and aspirations.
“We have committed ourselves to investing in education, in building schools; today we have achieved universal primary education with primary schools’ facilities, adequate primary school places for every single primary school student in Guyana…we are well on our way to achieving secondary education, universal secondary education, with a university place for every secondary school student. And even in those small hinterland villages, where there isn’t a sufficient population base to support an entire secondary school, we built a school with a dormitory to serve a cluster of villages,” explained Minister Singh.
The numerous technical institutes being built and equipped, including the ones at Leonora and Mahaicony, and the rehabilitation of the ones that already exist, and the Buxton Practical Instruction Centre, are aimed at ensuring that young persons acquire technical skills, whether it’s in construction, mechanical or electrical skills, or in ICT.
Minister Singh highlighted the importance of ICT in Guyana, which has created new and more jobs than any other industry over the past 10 years. He urged young persons to respond to all opportunities given to them and take advantage of them to achieve as many skills as they can. “Knowledge is something that never goes to waste,” he asserted.
“Indeed even if you are a retired grandmother, you have no intentions to return to the world of work, ICT has benefits for you and your well-being, your life and your quality of life… the fastness of the internet is unimaginable until you step foot onto this information super highway; there is no person, young or old, who cannot benefit from the advantages of the ICT,” the Finance Minister stated.
Project Manager BNTF Michael Singh highlighted that the certification given to the students is not only for participation, but being granted a certificate from BIT allows participants to acquire jobs.
“We did a first training funded by the Government of Guyana and the Caribbean Development Bank, when we furnished a computer lab at the BIC. This second phase is exclusively funded by the Government of Guyana,” he added.
Singh further encouraged the batch to continue studying hard to pursue their goals, since this has been a foundational course for them that will allow for the furthering of their education.
Buxton over the years has developed tremendously with the help of the current Administration, with the building of schools, the Tipperary Hall, and the village’s own Steel Pan Orchestra, among others.