THERE is a popular saying that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish, you teach him for a lifetime.

There is tremendous merit in this saying. In fact, it is precisely this philosophical outlook that has prompted the PPP/C Government to initiate the National Youth Empowerment Programme, targeting out-of-school youths and those who for whatever reason or reasons would not have completed the full cycle of primary schooling.

The programme, which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Labour, is being executed by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT). Already, thousands of Guyanese have been trained in several skill areas such as carpentry, electrical installation, Information Technology, masonry, cake decoration, cosmetology, care for the elderly and a host of other areas.

The Board of Industrial Training is the training arm of the Ministry of Labour and is being driven by two pillars of the ministry, namely, capacity building and human development through the delivery of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes across the length and breadth of Guyana.

As the country prepares for the new and still emerging oil and gas economy, the need for the right mix of skills to power the economy to higher levels of development will become all the more important. This is true not only for the oil and gas sector, but also for all the other ancillary sub-sectors, especially those in the service sector which is growing rapidly.

It is within this context that the programmes offered by the Ministry of Labour through the Board of Industrial Training have to be seen and appreciated. Under this programme, young people are afforded opportunities to develop and upgrade their technical competencies in a wide array of technical and vocational fields, free of any cost to themselves or their families. In addition, a small stipend is offered to students to cover transportation or any other incidental expenses.

This is in addition to the several technical courses offered by the more established technical institutes such as the Government Technical Institute, the New Amsterdam Technical Institute, the Guyana Industrial Training Centre and the several others established by the current administration in Essequibo, Berbice and Linden.

To further enhance and upgrade the delivery of technical and vocational education in the country, government has allocated $884 million in the 2021 Budget which will go towards equipping and retooling technical and vocational training centres. As the economy evolves, the education sector must be positioned to respond to the changing demands of the labour market. And the government has been aggressively pursuing measures to increase the intake of students to pursue technical education, in order to meet the demands of a growing and more diversified economy.

The world of work is changing and with it the changing demand for labour. The country is also looking ahead in the direction of a “green” economy and the foundation for its transition is actively being pursued. This transition is premised on the need for a qualified and skilled pool of professionals and technicians with new skills and expertise to drive the changing and multi-faceted nature of our economy, and to catapult the country into higher levels of growth and prosperity.

The Government of Guyana must be commended for the emphasis it has been placing on the training of young people to take up the mantle of leadership, especially to school drop-outs and other disadvantaged groups who have been given a new chance in life to contribute to their society to the limits of their potential.