-20 Reg.1 women complete maritime training

THROUGH a scholarship programme between the Office of the First Lady and the Atlantic Maritime and Offshore Training Institute (AAMOTI), the first batch of 20 women from different communities in Region One (Barima-Waini), completed their one-week Basic Safety Training (BST) and Ship Security Awareness Training.

A total of 100 women are said to have benefitted from the training. First Lady, Mrs. Arya Ali, during her feature address at the graduation ceremony held at Friendship, East Bank Demerara on Saturday, told the graduates that they are now qualified to benefit from the myriad of opportunities in the various new and emerging sectors and industries.

“Oil and gas, maritime and offshore and even construction…these are fields which have been historically dominated by men,” the First Lady said.

She said that women have been a version of themselves that society defines for them and not how they truly see themselves. The First Lady noted that even when women pursue careers in male-dominated fields, there are still challenges.

She told the graduates that President, Dr. Irfaan Ali and herself are aware of how frustrating the experience can be and so, she noted it is important that they provide women with these types of opportunities to allow them to maximise their potential in every aspect on their lives.

“I also urge you to try to create a society you want to live in… the road ahead is not going to be easy. It never actually is, especially for us women, because while we come so far, the truth is that those old age problems of gender equality are stubborn and they have not fully gone away as yet,” the First Lady said.

She added: “So, there will be times when you feel like people are looking right past you or they see just a fraction of who you really are. They won’t know how hard you worked and how much you sacrificed to get to the point you are at now.”

First Lady Ali related that the graduates will be a source of inspiration for those who come after them.

During her remarks, she also expressed gratitude to Miranda Thakur-Deen, the Director of AAMOTI, who saw it necessary to partner with the Office of the First Lady to “afford young women from our hinterland the opportunity to benefit from specialised training.”

Also speaking at the event was Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag, who told the graduates that this was only part of their journey and that the next step involves them using their qualifications to access employment opportunities.

“The next step is to ensure you use what you now have to empower yourselves by earning an income. Guyana is moving at a rapid pace and we are happy that people like you are moving in that forward trajectory,” the minister added.

She also said that partnerships similar to this are critical to the development of Guyana.

Meanwhile, Director of AAMOTI, Thakur-Deen, thanked the First Lady for recognising the importance of providing access to training opportunities to women in the hinterland.

She said that part of her mission in life is to give back to women and the wider society and that is what she will ensure the institute does.

The best-graduating student, Nevaeh Clarkston, explained to the Sunday Chronicle that the programme entailed basic safety and health as well as ship security awareness.

“Basic safety and health were focused on first aid, like if someone has to get CPR what you do and the type of things that you should always have in your first aid kit,” she explained.

She said that being the best graduate, it is very important because, with her certificate, she can go further and get a job.

She advised women that would like to take part in similar training to have jobs in the field, to “go ahead for it… it is worth the while.”

Another graduate, Angelica Martin of Port Kaituma, said that even though it was tough she is happy to have completed the course successfully alongside the other 19 women.

She noted that it is important for the hinterland region to receive these opportunities because they don’t have many similar opportunities available to them.

Fiona Salmon said that her experience was great and she thanked the First Lady for the opportunity while urging other women to “get on board.”