– Guyanese/American welder to open training academy
WITH the dream of raising the welding and metal fabrication skill set of locals to international standards, Guyanese/American citizen Mohamed Ally has returned home to establish Guyana’s first Welding Academy.
Ally, 57, has been working in the welding and fabrication field since he was the age of 17 in Guyana before migrating to the United States of America (USA) to continue his dream.
“I have remained committed to Guyana by visiting and following up with the developmental activities. My research into the needs of a prospering Guyana leads me to strongly believe that the country needs a welding institution to teach the enterprising people prerequisites needed for the rapidly developing economy,” Ally said during an interview with the Sunday Chronicle.
He added that his academy will be teaching “world-class” welding skills to students willing to learn this much-needed asset to best prepare them for the workforce.
Ally is hoping that his academy will be in operation by the first quarter of this year; the building is located at Lot 24 North Road, Lacytown, Georgetown.
Ally goes by the theme which is engraved on his building ‘Burn, Learn and Earn.’
“I plan to conduct hands-on training to qualify students. This training will qualify them for work not only in the rapidly expanding oil-services sector, but also in other fast-growing areas of the economy,” he added.
With over 30 years in the welding field in Guyana, Venezuela and the US, Ally has multiple welding licences from accredited international welding institutions under his belt.
According to Ally, he is “uniquely” qualified to train students in fusion welding, salt and torch braze, plasma cutting and much more.
With his vast knowledge of ironwork, Ally said that he will also teach students how to weld from specs, sketches, technical orders and blueprints, while also instilling deep understanding of safety procedures and maintenance.
He explained that the session would last for two hours per day for the beginner’s programme for stick welding and shielded metal arc welding, which will run for two months.
However, gas metal arc welding and gas tungsten arc welding will be run as independent programmes.
Ally said that his academy can certify welders with test coupons and two types of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), which comprises bend test and penetration test.
His students will be taught the importance of developing the ability to communicate effectively the technical tasks, how to read and write technical pieces, describe what a job entails and how best to work in a group welding project.
“This programme is designed to teach students how to best approach different welding positions and techniques, along with tips and tricks required to get the welds done safely and efficiently,” he said.
Ally also encouraged companies to get on board with his academy to train their workers in welding. He has also expressed his willingness to work with government ministries.
“It would be my greatest honour to contribute to Guyana’s ongoing economic development and I am confident that my expertise will have a positive impact on our citizens,” he said.
He highlighted that the academy would expose Guyanese to higher skills to meet the demands in the local producing oil-and-gas industry, especially in Wales’s gas-to-energy project in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).
This project will see more than 120-mile (190-km) natural gas pipeline being constructed from Exxon Mobil’s offshore projects.
Ally has already imported all of the welding machinery and gears needed with the hope that the first class of the academy will commence before the end of the first quarter.
