-financial literacy, employment readiness among focus areas

MINISTER of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., has announced that $54 million of the Ministry’s $2.7 billion budgetary allocation will be used to execute several training programmes for youth.
The Minister made this known last Thursday to the National Assembly. He informed that over 1,000 youths will benefit from training in several areas such as financial literacy, employment readiness, small business, night school 362, music, renewable energy, robotics, micro-computer and digital education, cognitive behaviour, peer education and edutainment, monitoring, problem-solving and life skills and parenting.

He explained that the government is working to ensure that all youths in Guyana have the necessary skills to become productive adults.

According to Minister Ramson, all the relevant training will be done virtually so as to observe the COVID-19 guidelines and to allow more persons the opportunity to take part in these training sessions.

He said while the COVID-19 pandemic has posed major challenges, it has pushed innovative and critical thinking, which has provided many opportunities.

“I think in many ways there are many opportunities which exist to get where we can streamline the training being provided so that it is standardised, professionalised, that there is no limitation on its production or delivery so that the same kind of quality is given to all,” he said.

The government plans to re-open the economy and provide training virtually for now, through the Department of Youth.

The Minister assured that the Ministry will continue to work and coordinate with the relevant authorities, as part of efforts to facilitate a transition to a safe physical space.

“We need to continue to have training and education programmes delivered to our young people. We will do it first in the virtual environment and then ensure to provide a safe environment as possible in the physical sense,” the Minister said.

He expressed that through these initiatives members of the country’s workforce can be prepared and equipped to efficiently function.

The units which fall within the purview of the Department of Youth are Administration-Youth Empowerment Unit, President’s Youth Award: Republic of Guyana (PYARG), Kuru-Kuru Training Centre (KKTC), Vryman’s Erven Training Centre and the Sophia Training Centre (STC).