THE non-residential Sophia Training Centre yesterday graduated a batch of 94 students between the ages of 16 and 25 years in the Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training (YEST) programme.

The graduation ceremony was held at the Carifesta Sports Complex on Carifesta Avenue in Georgetown, and the graduands, bedecked in black and red, proudly awaited the calling of their names before mounting the stage to collect their respective certificates.
Giving an overview of the course, Head of Departments, Ms. Walton, noted that it was a very proud moment for the Sophia Training Centre to host its 24th graduation exercise, and she was happy to see that the students have completed their courses.
She went on to explain that the students had to complete their course by doing 65% practical and 35% theory within the year that the course lasted.
Ms Walton said the Sophia Training Centre will be introducing a cosmetology course to facilitate a lot of young women who are interested in the technique.
Some of the challenges that the teachers faced during that time period were lateness for classes and absenteeism; but the head of department explained that, that situation was often due to financial problems at home, and whenever the teachers could have help the students, they did.
She also highlighted that during the early part of this year, the centre implemented a programme in which the students were served with one hot meal per day. She said the programme is doing very well thus far.
She thanked various entities for their continuous support of the training centre, among which were the Guyana Defence Force, the National Insurance Scheme, the Guyana Prison Service, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.
Delivering the feature address, Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony congratulated the students on completing their respective courses, and urged them to continue improving their lives.
The minister pleaded with the graduates to set goals for themselves, and not to move along life without a plan.
He explained that people learn differently — some can learn the practical way, while some can learn the theoretical way; but in the end, both types of learners would have accomplished what they had started out to do.
Minister Anthony made the point that the Government of Guyana has expended a lot of money in the education sector, and events like graduations make the Government and the ministry feel proud.
“I urge you to continue to qualify yourselves more, and not just settle for this certificate that you will be receiving today. Life is a journey, and you need to qualify themselves so that you can reach to greater heights,” he charged the young graduates.
The minister also inspected the finished work the graduands had displayed at a mini-exhibition.
The batch of 94 young people graduated in the fields of Catering, Handicraft, Information Technology and Office Administration, Masonry, Plumbing and Sheet Metal, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, and Welding and Fabrication.
The course saw Anivia Wray emerging as the best graduating student in Catering; Menen Thornhill in Handicraft, Keisha Ajudia in Information Technology and Office Administration, Shane James in Masonry, Leon Simon in Plumbing and Sheet Metal and Tremaine Benjamin in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, and Kevin Blair in Welding and Fabrication.