By Hugh Mclean

GRADUATES of the Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training (YEST) Programme said they are now better equipped to serve their communities, in areas such as carpentry and masonry.
On Friday July 19, moments after they graduated from the Kuru Kuru Training Centre, Soesdyke/Linden Highway, several of the graduates said they were eager to return to their communities to utilize the skills acquired during the YEST Programme. They were trained in carpentry, data operations, electrical installation, furniture making, garment making, masonry, motor vehicle repairs, plumbing, refrigeration and air condition, and welding.
Other areas training offered at the institution include remedial Mathematics, English Language, Information Technology and Entrepreneurship.

Eighteen-year-old Sabrina Patterson, who hails from the county of Berbice, studied plumbing at the institution. In an interview with Guyana Chronicle, Patterson expressed her views.

“It taught me a lot and I can now apply this knowledge to make a better life for myself,” said Patterson, who also noted that “there were some ups and downs with staff and trainees but it was all worth it.”
“It was sad for me because my mother died and didn’t get to see me graduate” Patterson shared, while elaborating on her family life.
Her next step is to attend the Government Technical Institute (GTI) and further her studies in plumbing.

Another participant, 17-years-old Michael Jordan, who is from Anna Catherina, Region #3, studied Motor Vehicle Repairs at the institution.
According to him, he joined the programme after being told of it by a friend. “I went on work study for two years and this is a good start in life,” Jordan explained.
Jordan’s next step is to further his studies on Motor Vehicle Repair. When asked about his family, Jordan said, “I missed them for the first few weeks but then I got friends and they became like family to me, so I got over it.”

Eighteen-years-old Shawn Eastman, from Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, studied Furniture-making at the institution.

According to Eastman, he joined the institution because it leaves a “good impact” on one’s life and when one is finished one is awarded a certificate and can also further one’s studies.
“It was very good, I learned a lot; I met persons from different areas and it changed me and my ways towards life,” said Eastman, adding, “It was my first practical. Making the ornaments and participating in the different exercises were challenging, but I eventually caught on”.

When asked about his family, he said that he was used to being away sometimes from his family, so he had experience and did not feel homesick.
Sixteen-years-old Ezra Hido, from Land of Canaan, on the East Bank Demerara, studied Masonry at the institution.

According to Hido, after dropping out of school, he saw the institution as an opportunity for a second chance in his life.
“It changed my life a lot, because without a skill you can’t get a job” Hido stated. Speaking about the time he spent at the institution, away from his family, he stated, “It wasn’t really bad because my family lives close by (Kuru Kuru).”
Now that he has completed these studies, he highlighted that he wants to go into the army next.

“In this ever-evolving world, it is important that you keep building your capacity, so as to remain sufficiently informed and relevant,” said Minister of Social Cohesion, with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. George Norton, when he addressed the 19th batch of graduands.