— through agreement between GDF and Texila American University

THE Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Texila American University (TAU), on Tuesday, inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will see the university playing an important role in building academic training capacity within the force.

According to a release, the initiative forms part of the university’s desire to give back, by improving access to learning opportunities through its Centre for Professional Development (CPD). The MoU was signed by Chief of Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess and Founder and President of the TAU, Saju Bhaskar.

According to the MoU, the courses will be offered free of cost to the GDF and will last a duration of three months each and ranks will be issued with certificates following their successful completion. The courses to be offered at the officer level will complement the capstone Senior Command and Staff Course (SCSC) and at the junior officer level, the Junior Command and Staff Course (JCSC). Courses are also being offered to complement courses at the level of non-commissioned officers.

Staff Officer One General Three (Operations and Training), Lieutenant Colonel Andy Pompey, during a short presentation, highlighted that at the SCSC level, officers will complete the certificate in Advanced Strategic Management as well as the certificate in Strategic Human Resource Management, the release noted.

It added that at the JCSC level, the officers will complete the Certificate in Intermediate Strategic Management and a certificate in Human Resource Management.

At the Non-Commissioned Officer level, ranks will complete the certificate in Human Resource Management and the certificate in Communication Skills in addition to those provided on the Senior Leaders Course (SLC).

Other internal courses that will be supplemented with courses to be offered by the TAU include the Grade One Finance Course, the Grade One and Grade Two Medical Assistant courses, the Grade Three Medic course and the Grade One Logistics Course, the release noted.

At the small but significant signing ceremony, Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, in remarks noted, that the force’s collaboration with the university is yet another milestone in preparing ranks for the transformation of the country.

Brigadier Bess explained that that the capstone courses for both officers and other ranks have undergone some amount of modification.

GRATEFUL
“I am grateful that your organisation has recognised the service and dedication of the officer and ranks and decided to offer these courses pro-bono to the GDF. We are thankful for this and we assure you that this will definitely contribute to capacity building in the force. I also assure you that the commitment and dedication of other ranks will be a concrete testimony,” Brigadier Bess stated.

TAU Founder and President, Saju Bhaskar stated that while the university’s gesture was part of corporate social responsibility, it was also one that came from his heart as the son of a soldier in his native country.

He lauded the force’s efforts to develop its ranks in preparation for the future, adding that the courses will definitely boost the careers of ranks and help with professional knowledge development and skill enhancement.

“I am proud that I could do this and we are grateful that you have chosen Texila to be part of this journey to develop your ranks. We will definitely be a lifelong skill and professional development partner,” he said.

The MoU is a follow up from discussions held between both parties and is aimed at providing opportunities for the professional development of ranks of the GDF through training and skills development, the release concluded.