A LARGE gathering defied unfavourable weather conditions and converged on the lawns at Essequibo Technical Institute (ETI) to witness its 8th Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) career and exhibition fair on Friday.

The event began with a formal opening ceremony. In his address, Principal, Micheal Turner, welcomed the participants and outlined the role of ETI. The institution was established as a direct result of demand from society for technical training.

The institute was formed under the direction of former Minister of Education, Dr. Dale Bisnauth, now deceased.

The fair, he said, will provide an opportunity for students, especially those leaving secondary school, to seriously think and choose a career path with ETI, as well as to enable parents and guardians to observe what the institute has to offer and what the students are capable of creating.

In an impassioned plea, he encouraged prospective students to enroll with ETI and reap the benefits of a rewarding career. He rubbished the myth that the institute is only for those who are not academically inclined, pointing out that “it is the school’s mandate to educate all students and that skill is wealth”.

He also mentioned that ETI is engaged in institutionalised learning, whereby students are exposed to 30 percent practice and 70 percent theory, as well as business and industry training, where it is 60 percent practice and 40 percent theory.

Also making a presentation was chairman of the Board of Governors (BoG), Dileep Singh, who indicated that the body is working assiduously to make the institute welcoming and to ensure that the core values are enforced to cultivate successful students.

He further lamented that ETI is also poised to have several programmes accredited in keeping with the demands of the employment industry, including the emerging oil sector.
Hugh Griffith, a representative from MACORP, also spoke of the opportunities presented at the company, which include training, scholarship and a rewarding career from being an apprentice to a top level manager.

Among those attending were Deputy Principal, Muneshwar Jaggernauth; Commander ‘G’ Division, Stephen Mansell; Expenditure, Planning and Management Analyst, Region Two, Portia Jacobs; representatives of sister institutions, staff, residents, parents and students of various secondary schools, along with the exhibitors.

After the ceremony, the principal led a tour guide of the campus, while the booths that were opened for display included: MACORP, ETI, Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), Republic Bank, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Protection.