FIRST Lady Aryan Ali has initiated a training programme aimed at preparing 100 Amerindian women to gain employment in the lucrative oil-and-gas sector. This is indeed a commendable initiative, one that will go a far way in addressing issues of gender equality, especially as it relates to the Amerindian segment of the population, which historically has suffered from decades of marginalisation under both the colonial and the PNC administrations.

The training programme will be done by Atlantic Alliance (AA) Maritime & Offshore Training Institute, which is a fully owned Guyanese company. The scholarships will be awarded through the Office of the First Lady over a four-year period, and will see women from Regions One, Two, Seven, Eight and Nine benefit. The agreement was reached after an approach was made by the First Lady and directors of the training institute and other stakeholders, including the Centre for Local Business Development and Lloyd’s Register.

According to the First Lady, this initiative is fully in line with the ‘One-Guyana’ vision as articulated by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali. “We are talking about One Guyana and this is a demonstration of us, the government creating that One Guyana that we speak of. We are aware of the many issues that affect the indigenous people of Guyana, including access to tertiary education and tertiary-level training. So this is a major step towards creating opportunities for them in the oil-and-gas sector and ensuring that they are part of the success story of our country.”

The Maritime Institute will provide training programmes which are focused on the teaching of practical skills to both local and international students through a blended approach. The courses are accredited by the Guyana Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and the Maritime Authority of Jamaica. It is currently awaiting accreditation from the National Accreditation Council of Guyana and later down the road, as a TVET-certified institution.

This is a necessary requirement in order to guard against ‘bogus’ post-secondary training centres, especially those relating to the emerging oil-and-gas sector. The PPP/C administration has already indicated that the GuySuCo apprentice training school at Port Mourant will be transformed into an oil-and-gas training institution. Another such training, the institution will be set up at Lusignan on the East Coast of Demerara and will be dedicated entirely to cater for the training needs of the oil-and-gas sector. As it currently stands, such specialised training needs can only be met from training institutions in the United States, Trinidad and Tobago and a few other oil-producing nations which are not only costly, but put Guyanese citizens at a severe disadvantage. Such a situation is inconsistent with the policies of the government as it relates to the recently enacted local content legislation. The local content legislation makes it mandatory for locals to benefit from employment opportunities in the oil-and-gas sector, once they meet the eligibility requirements for the job.

Training is an important prerequisite for national development and the PPP/C administration must be given credit, not only for building training capacity to meet the developmental needs of the country, but more importantly to make such training accessible to all Guyanese, especially hinterland and Amerindian communities.

First Lady Arya Ali has demonstrated that by the right kinds of networking and linkages it is possible to seek opportunities and find solutions to problems facing the society. Her role in the beautification of the city and other parts of the country has won the commendation and hearts of a wide cross-section of the Guyanese people.

President Ali has repeatedly stated that the wealth of the country must be fairly distributed. His One-Guyana vision has paved the way for a new dispensation where Guyanese can now embrace each other as partners in development and not as competitors for the country’s wealth generated by our collective efforts.