THE Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), in collaboration with Merundoi Incorporated, hosted the graduation ceremony for its Audio-Visual Skills for Youth Empowerment Programme, on Wednesday. The six-week programme saw 31 graduates receiving national vocational certification.

Minister of Finance Winston Jordan, encouraged the graduates to use their new skills and qualifications for the betterment of their own country, to give back to the country that gave them the opportunity to develop and qualify themselves.
“Guyana is on the cusp of greatness; we need you and your new found skill. It is tempting to migrate but at that time when that temptation is there it is slowly but surely being removed; don’t jump, the country to be is Guyana, everyone is rushing back here; you need to claim your piece of the pie,” Said Jordan.

Further, he reminded the graduates of the importance of persons in the audio and visual information sector, reminding them that they would play a pivotal role in distributing necessary information to persons all across the world.

Project Manager of the BNTF, Dikedemma Utoh, highlighted the organisation’s commitment to youth development through its various programmes. He related that the government has allotted some $12M for the programme.

“This Audio Visual Skill for Youth Empowerment is our second collaboration with Merundoi incorporated under the BNTF. We implemented the training to help realise innovative ventures and entrepreneurship.

The original aim of this project was to provide broadcast-media training to about 30 youths within the Charlestown/Albouystown area. However, at BNTF we do not discriminate in terms of our target area for any person; as a result, 72 persons were interviewed and 40 of them were able to secure a position within the programme.”
Best graduating student of the programme, Omallia Thorington, related her experience with the programme saying, “It was fun, I do have a 9-5 job so it was hard coming in every afternoon, Monday to Friday, but I had to make the necessary sacrifices.

“We learnt the basics of a camera, of a microphone, the basics of a speaker, amplifier, mixing board and all of those things; we learnt how to white balance a camera, like basically how to set up our set, we learnt camera placement and how to tell a story with the camera; the dos and don’ts when it comes to videography and the same with audio.
“I would advise anybody to look out for programmes like these, they are very beneficial; even if that isn’t the field you want to be in, it’s still good to have the training and the certification; it would be an additional revenue for you to earn.”