APPROXIMATELY 158 youths on Thursday graduated from the National Training Programme for Youth Empowerment (NTPYE) facilitated by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) through the Ministry of Social Protection.

The graduates came from Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Training Centre, Buxton Training Centre, and Eccles Training Centre among others. Minister within Ministry of Communities, Dawn Hastings-Williams, delivering the feature address at the National Cultural Centre (NCC), Homestretch Avenue, congratulated the students on their performance, which earned them certificates.

“The skills acquired will contribute to the development and progress of Guyana: decreasing unemployment, boosting the economy, building the workforce, improving the quality of life of our youth and enhancing their opportunities for development and success,” the minister added. She told the youths that this period in their life is an excellent time, “to build themselves academically and professionally.”

Minister Hastings-Williams advised that they never allow circumstances to define them and to rise above those issues and push for success since it is the best revenge. “Do not heed advice from those who may want to entice you to deviate from your path…History has shown us over and over again that crime is an illusion that evaporates in the aggravators’ faces…instead, accept that success is preceded by hard work, self-sacrifice, progressive professional and academic evolution and a clear vision of one’s goals and aspirations in life,” she explained.

It was highlighted that NTPYE continues to empower young people through skills-training, since its was launch in 2005.In keeping with the government’s vision to emphasise youth empowerment, 1,430 students have graduated from the programme since 2016 as it continues to make significant strides in the development of youths. Courses offered include auto mechanic, welding and fabrication, catering and cake decoration, information technology and office procedures, personal computer repairs, heavy-duty equipment operation, care for the elderly, catering and commercial food preparation and other life-skills.

BIT Chairman, Clinton Williams, spoke of his pride in the graduates, noting that while they may have originally viewed the courses as challenging, the completion of these classes is rewarding and will help them gain employment. “We will continue to intensify the delivery of technical and vocational skills training by addressing the skill demand needs, not only by the existing but also for modern industries such as oil and gas, clean energy, agro processing among others,” Williams pointed out. He said that the agency plans to improve its collaboration and coordination among the formal and non-formal training institutions to reduce the high level of repetition of training without accreditation.

The BIT chairman stressed that the agency will also create innovative mechanisms to influence more involvement and support from the local private sector by providing more facilities and planned facilities and facilitators, as well as a hands-on approach for respective training programmes. This intervention is essential to generate skill sets that are consistently and technologically relevant, which will adequately meet the expectations of the constantly changing technical and technological workforce. (DPI)