There remains a flurry of reports on the ‘new Guyana’ that beckons. There is talk about the country’s economic growth and the massive spending proposed to develop the country and hopefully increase people’s standard of living. A crucial consideration in all of this, I believe, is an appreciation of the skills needed in our transforming state.

Last week, I wrote about the value of integrating more trained teachers into the local education sector. This week, I want to expand that conversation a bit- focusing on the crucial need for skilled workers in the developing Guyana economy.

Starting this weekend, more than 2,000 Guyanese are graduating from the University of Guyana (UG). I love reading about all of their stories. It warms my heart hearing about the meaningful ways they intend to contribute to our country’s development.

Those stories made me think about what I would be doing once I complete my studies in another few months. Certainly, many of us picture ourselves as integral to the development of Guyana-especially now. But in a country that has long been dominated by migration of the “education people” (a phenomenon called “brain drain”), is there a demand for our skills?

The answer is a resounding yes, I think.

In a 2020 publication titled, “A pivotal moment for Guyana: Realising the opportunities,” the World Bank posited that human capital development is vital to both economy-wide productivity and individual social mobility.

The bank, however, noted that higher education attainment is low and not well aligned with labour market needs. Guyanese with higher levels of education tended to migrate too, the bank acknowledged.

Consequently, the situation Guyana has been confronted by is a disconnect between the needs of the oil gas industry and the Guyanese workforce.

This is no secret. Guyana’s dearth of technical knowledge in the oil and gas sphere has been well ventilated and belaboured. Importantly, though, this is where all of our tertiary-level pursuits are particularly crucial. We have the opportunity of positioning ourselves for the emerging opportunities in oil and gas, certainly, but also in all of the other developing sectors (which may very well be every single sector).

To this end, there are also welcome developments that encourage our efforts. For example, knowledge transfer- that is, foreign companies passing on the ‘know-how’ to locals-is embedded in this sector’s policies and laws. We also have carve-outs in the Local Content law to guarantee that Guyanese can secure some business in the nascent sector.

Policy aside, investment in skills development signals a recognition of the importance of many more Guyanese being trained. In Budget 2022, for example, $420.5 million has been allocated for training 1,000 workers in a wide range of areas for the oil and gas sector. This programme is expected to continue into the medium-term, allowing up to 4,500 persons to be trained over the next four years.

There is a wider thrust on skills development outside of this focus on oil and gas. This is evidenced by the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) programme, which is part of the government’s plan to provide 20,000 scholarships to Guyanese. Through this, those thousands of Guyanese are expected to learn new skills that will enable them to meaningfully contribute to the country’s development.

Of course, it is one thing to become skilled and it is an entirely different conversation to find a market for those skills. Certainly, rapid development in Guyana has led to the emergence of greater and even new-found demands for certain skills and competencies. Still, there must be a concerted effort at matching people’s skills with opportunities-whether that may be in providing jobs or facilitating their entrepreneurship.

And last week, during the budget debate, this was a crucial point raised. Opposition parliamentarian Tabitha Sarabo-Halley pointed out that unless properly planned, the distribution of the scholarships will result in many becoming skilled and qualified, but being unable to find jobs.

Taking this into consideration, it is important to note that Minister of the Public Service Sonia Parag said that a National Human Capacity Needs Assessment will be conducted, to guarantee that local labour market needs are met by facilitating training in those needed areas from now.

This discourse from both parliamentarians evidenced that there is indeed a need for skills now. I hope that this crucial consideration continues to guide policy development and investment in the years ahead.

If you would like to discuss this column or any of my previous writings, please feel free to contact me via email: vish14ragobeer@gmail.com