WHEN Brigadier Mark Phillips, Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), stood on Thursday before a 500-strong Government Technical Institute (GTI) graduating class of 2014, he opined that some might question his relevance in giving the feature address; but what he had to say was notably what the young pioneers needed to hear.

While, by his own admission, that evening was the first time he had set foot in the GTI, his footprint certainly left a lasting impression. In his remarks, he noted, “Guyana’s economy has moved from stabilisation to sustainable growth; we’re on the brink of an economic takeoff to modernisation.
Our industrial base and infrastructure are expanding (and), over the years, we have moved from being a basket case to now a middle income developing country.”

He added that “more young people will be needed to fill vacancies in more technical areas.”

The Army Chief of Staff recognised the link between industrial growth and skilled training. All of which he said was “necessary to raise labour productivity and average living standards.”

Phillips mentioned that surveys have increasingly shown that “as a country, we are experiencing skills shortages” in quite a few technical areas, and he urged graduates to “stay and seek employment in Guyana.”

This patriotic military man offered yet another piece of sage advice to young, ambitious entrepreneurs: “Start your own small business ventures in Guyana… and contribute to the development of our beautiful country.”

The army top brass drew attention to the necessity of focusing investment generally in education, or rather in technical vocational education. Recognising the need for educating Guyana’s youth, Phillips explained: “The twin forces of global integration and technological change have increased the focus on, and importance of, education and training in the competitive process.”

Phillips was, however, careful to urge that technical vocational education and training not be viewed as the solution to the growing needs of the skilled workers’ industry, but rather “as an essential prerequisite for socially balanced economic growth.”

Pleading with those in higher office to increase investment in the young human capital, Phillips said: “As the labour market becomes more specialised and economies demand higher levels of skills, our Government and business enterprises must be seen as increasingly investing in the future of vocational education through publicly-funded training institutions and subsidised apprenticeships or training initiatives for businesses.”

He added that both Guyana’s economy and its market-based development “must be fuelled by expansions in our specialised and tertiary level training infrastructure and institutions.”

Additionally, “modern values need to be implanted in our young people, and they must be trained for specific jobs in the technically complex division of labour [and] in today’s training environment. The ambitious must be given their chance to achieve, and not be restricted because of their sex, age, or social status,” he declared.

The Chief of Staff highlighted the role of the GDF, which was set up in 1965. “The Guyana Defence Force [GDF] spends more on training per capita and as a percentage of budgetary allocations than many private and public sector organizations,” he said.
He also said the doors of the GDF are always open, since “we always have vacancies (for persons) with technical qualifications.”

Phillips urged those interested in a career in the military to seize the opportunity and become part of the GDF family.

“With qualifications similar to yours, two graduates from the GDF in 2012, with no prior military exposure, are now sergeants after completing our Military Leadership course in 2013. With the accompanying CXC certificates, and on successful completion of our Officer Cadet course, graduates of GTI are commissioned as Second Lieutenants of the Guyana Defence Force,” he told his audience.

Brigadier Mark Phillips is the eighth Chief of Staff to serve the Guyana Defence Force. He was appointed to that position in November 2013 by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Chairman of the Defense Board, President Donald Ramotar. Phillips is the holder of a Bachelors degree in Public Management from the University of Guyana, and a Masters in Public Sector Management from La Pontifical Universidad of the Dominican Republic.

(Derwayne Wills)