SOME 51 students from six administrative regions of Guyana have graduated from a 16-week programme in Digital Literacy and Data Skills Training Programme organised by the University of Guyana (UG), in collaboration with the Caribbean School of Data (CSOD).

The programme is ongoing and is being facilitated by UG staff in collaboration with Mona School of Business and Management and the Caribbean School of Data, a release said.

“I love the teachers and how they handled the classes. The students were really great, and they were very encouraging. I am very happy I signed up and was able to complete the course,” said Level One graduate, Makida Noordwyk.

Maheswarie Nandram, a Level Two graduate, was also high in praise: “The Digital Literacy and Data Skills Training Programme was an interactive and informative experience as the facilitators were knowledgeable and were always willing to help.”

The top five performers for Level One were Makida Noordwyk, Sarika Prasad, Garvon Douglas, Omadele Layne and Taheer Budhu while the top five performers for Level Two were Maheswarie Nandram, Shiv Sooklall, Dalia Araujo, Davindra Bridgemohan and Kristy Perreira.

Vice-Chancellor, XI, of the University of Guyana, Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin, in her remarks, took the opportunity to extend warm greetings and congratulations to the graduates.

The Vice-Chancellor also extended sincere thanks to the coordinators and all other resource persons of the programme for all their efforts in ensuring that the programme was successful.

“The skills that you would have learnt are what we consider to be real. Current trends are not going to be reversed. We are committed to creating a workforce designed to figuring out what is required of people now and in the foreseeable future. It is very important to note that there is a real need for many persons with digital skills. So UG is happy to support that,” she said.

The Caribbean School of Data representative, Dr Michael McNaughton extended warm greetings and congratulations to the graduates.

“The training and skills you have acquired from this programme are relevant as we seek to pursue the new norm of the emerging digital economy. Digital ecosystem and data are going to become quite important tools for you cohorts as you move forward,” he said.

The occasion was also addressed by University of Guyana, Department of Computer Sciences, Head of Department, Dr Max Baird.

“Graduation today is not just an end goal for you; I trust that you will be life-long learners and see this as a crucial stepping stone into a much larger part of life,” he said.

Dr. Baird, the release noted, encouraged the graduates to strive for excellence in all that they do.

“There is always going to be a journey, and there is always going to be a further point of achievement, but I hope this graduation serves as a good launching point that will propel you to wherever the near future is meant to take you,” he said.