BECOMING qualified in Heavy-Duty Equipment Operation (HDEO) is a childhood goal come true for Police Sergeant Kerron Gordon, who is stationed in Bartica, Region Seven.

During a recently held graduation ceremony at the Bartica Community Centre, he was one of 75 graduates who received certification in Heavy-Duty Equipment Operation, Electrical Installation, Welding and Fabrication, and General Building Construction.

The police sergeant stated that he has always been fascinated by how such heavy-duty devices operate and wished to learn how to do so. This, he added, began to take shape after he discussed the entire programme with Joseph Bharrat, the Regional Technical Officer of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT).

He thanked the government for providing him with the opportunity to achieve his life objective, which he hopes to share with other interested persons.

Meanwhile, Alf Darrel-Wilson, who is also a police sergeant, expressed similar sentiments. He said he had a desire to learn critical knowledge and abilities in order to become a trained heavy-duty equipment operator.

“This was something that I wanted to do for a while now, but financially I could not afford it, and then this opportunity landed on my lap, so I pounced at it. I am now a certified heavy-duty equipment operator, and I am really pleased with myself,” he told BIT officials.

This accomplishment, he claimed, was also made possible through assistance from his coworkers who participated in the programme.

The rank urged other police officers to take advantage of the free technical programmes offered by the Board of Industrial Training.

“It doesn’t matter whether they want to be members of the welding and fabrication or heavy-duty equipment operating programmes; what counts is that they want to learn a new talent, especially in an age when having more than one skill is vital,” he said.

BIT’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Saskia Eastman-Onwuzirike, commended the graduates for completing their respective programmes despite the hardships they faced.

She expressed hope that the graduates will consider their next step in becoming well-rounded individuals who are capable of accomplishing many things.

Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, in his remarks, stated that the graduation ceremony was a reflection of the government’s commitment to change the region’s trajectory by boosting the number of competent workers in the region.

He expressed his appreciation for the positive transition, which indicates the PPP/C administration’s willingness to provide its inhabitants with the necessary skills and knowledge to be employed. He noted that the government will continue to invest in its people in order to see such developments.

“We are shifting from spending $3.2 million in 2021 to spending $12.7 million in 2022 to train over 70 people, which will ultimately improve the country’s workforce,” the Labour Minister explained.

To fuel this momentum, a $10 million training school for the Board of Industrial Training will be constructed in the region for the first time.

There are plans to build a joinery, welding, and fabrication centre as an annex to the training school.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Bisram Kuppen, commended the graduates for gaining much-needed skills that will essentially help to alleviate the country’s skill deficit in the various industries.

He urged them to treasure their existing skills and to continue exploring numerous opportunities for furthering their own and the region’s development.

BIT’s Senior Technical Officer, Leon Greaves; Mayor of Bartica, Gifford Marshall and other officials attended the graduation ceremony. (Board of Industrial Training| Public Relations Department)