IN an effort to support the development of Guyana’s expanding maritime and offshore industries, AA Maritime and Offshore Training Institute (AAMOTI) and the government are partnering to offer specialised technical training and educational opportunities in those industries to Guyanese.

A release from the institute said that through the Guyana Online Academy Learning (GOAL), Guyanese can, for the first time in the country’s history, pursue a career in marine cadetship locally.

The three-year programme, which is accredited by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), will allow locals to become internationally-licensed Cadet Officers upon successful completion.

Prospective students can choose their specialisation to either become an Officer in Charge of Navigation Watch or Officer in Charge of Engine Watch (Engineering) – both
of which require two years in-class teaching and at least one year on board a seagoing vessel.

Prospective students can also pursue a career as an Electro-Technical Officer which is a four-month certificate programme.

“This is us responding to the call by the government to ensure we are prepared to benefit from the opportunities in our bourgeoning oil and gas and maritime sectors. We
invested in this with the aim of developing our human resource capacity to respond to needs of the country,” Managing Director, Asif Hamid was quoted as saying.

He said that AAMOTI also continues to develop its workforce to deliver high quality service to all stakeholders and is committed to attracting the highest calibre of professionals who can make a difference in the school and the lives of its students.

Young and aspiring candidates between the ages of 17-25 with five Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects can apply for the program through GOAL before January 15, 2023, the release said.

“Successful candidates will have enormous opportunities to build their career in the maritime industry, enhance interpersonal skills, establish professional networks and expand on career goals,” Captain Hassan Fouda, President of AAMOTI related.

He added that the programme is a new and exciting one which exposes Guyanese to a relatively new industry with enormous potential to transform the country.

“GOAL is an initiative launched by the Government of Guyana to provide 20,000 online scholarships to Guyanese to pursue tertiary level programs via partnerships with reputable universities,” the release added.