THE Organisation of American States (OAS) has injected US$83,000 into the development of technical and vocational education in Guyana.

There has been a growing demand for a workforce with specialised skills, as well as a need to increase sustainable employment opportunities for Guyanese.
In order to address this gap, the OAS made a monetary contribution to the Ministry of Education on Thursday.

Education Minister Nicolette Henry expressed her gratitude to the OAS on behalf of the government for the good gesture.

“I believe that the development of this country hinges on the development of the people… oftentimes we focus on the mainstream academic and people with skills for technical and vocational education are left off of the radar,” the minister said.
She added that the agreement is very important, because it will help them to provide a better opportunity for persons who are “left out”.
It has been proven on many occasions that technical and vocational skills are important elements of sustainable development.

“We are looking towards the development in terms of oil and we have to prepare our people to manage the resources and this contribution will feed the broader picture”, said Minister Henry.

The younger population is expected to benefit from programmes that will stem from the money that was given to the ministry.
Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson said the funds will be used specifically for training and occupational health and safety.
Once persons are properly trained, they will find good jobs, said OAS representative Jean Ricot Dormeus.

“With good technical and vocational training, they will secure good jobs and set up businesses so that the country will improve and grow its economy,” he explained.
The OAS hopes that the contribution will help to move Guyana forward by equipping persons with the skills to contribute meaningfully to the economy.
Over the years, Guyana has benefited from scholarship programmes from the OAS and the new contribution will support the improvement of the technical and vocational education in secondary and post-secondary institutions.

“We want to promote equality, inclusive and equitable education,” said Dormeus, pointing out that there should be a balance between academic and practical skills.
In 2016, Guyana received funding of US$12.3 million from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to enhance access to, and improve the quality and effectiveness of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Programme in Guyana.
“This project will assist the Government of Guyana in increasing economic competitiveness and creating a labour force that can meet the demand for specialised skills in emerging sectors like tourism and hospitality. We believe that strengthening the education sector and particularly the TVET sector, provides an excellent opportunity to broaden social inclusion of men and women, people with disabilities and indigenous peoples,” CDB Projects Department Director Daniel Best had said.

The project had several components, including enhancing the TVET teaching and learning environment; improving the quality, relevance and effectiveness of TVET instruction; strengthening capacity within the sub-sector; and enhancing second-chance opportunities for at-risk and unskilled learners.