SOME 4,000 young people will be equipped in 2022 with the necessary technical and vocational skills to be gainfully employed, as the government has earmarked $448.5 million to advance the work of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT).

This was announced by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, on Wednesday, while presenting Budget 2022.

He told the National Assembly: “Our government’s rapid development trajectory requires a skilled, qualified and innovative workforce. We have identified human capital development through technical and vocational skills as one of the most critical impetuses if our development objectives are to be met.”

To ensure this, the government will partner with the private sector to provide relevant training to supplement its ongoing plans to streamline the national skills training programmes.

Minister Singh said it is imperative that the technical and vocational training programmes are tailored to accommodate the needs of the labour market in every sector.

“In this regard, we plan to undertake an analysis of the institutions offering skills training with the aim of streamlining them, as well as modernising their curriculum, to make them more relevant to contemporary needs so that they are able to offer training to young and not-so-young Guyanese persons in areas that would make them immediately marketable to the labour market,” he said.

As such, the government plans to invest $260 million to establish this year, a Guyana Technical Training College with a campus at Port Mourant, incorporating it with the renowned GuySuCo Port Mourant Technical Training School. The facility will also offer training programmes in the areas of oil and gas, tourism and hospitality.

Additionally, $420.5 million was allocated to train and certify 1,000 people with the necessary skills to be employed in the oil and gas industry. This venture will see the certification of welders, stevedores, heavy vehicle operators, and others.

In 2021, BIT trained over 3,000 people in the areas of small engine repairs, shadehouse farming, refrigeration and air conditioner repairs, introduction to photovoltaic systems solar installation, maintenance and repairs, electrical installation and computer repairs among others. (DPI)