–Jagdeo affirms
DESPITE the malicious rumors being spread about the part-time job initiative, Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has confirmed that not only will the programme continue but the government is in the process of expanding this initiative.
Dr. Jagdeo, during a press conference on Thursday, said: “On the campaign trail and even before that, a number of people have had misgivings about the part-time programme.”
In his view, most of their doubts stemmed from the lies being peddled that the initiative was temporary and the workers will be sacked as soon as the elections are over.
Apart from clarifying that these “far-fetched theories” are not true, Dr. Jagdeo said: “I want to assure the people, many of them in every part of the country, from Regions One-10, where we visited that we intend to expand the programme.”
Special focus is being placed on the expansion of this initiative in the rural and hinterland areas, since persons in those areas usually encounter difficulties in sourcing regular jobs and generating income.
While reaffirming the original priority which is to get more women into the workforce, Dr. Jagdeo said that the expansion will be done to accommodate a larger number of persons.
He related: “The programme will be expanded to accommodate a number of people, and the focus here again is to ensure that more women get employment.”
In May of this year, persons residing in the hinterland regions benefitted from an additional 2,000 job opportunities with the introduction of the government’s part-time jobs initiative there.
The programme, which was launched in several coastal regions in 2022, is already being rolled out in Region One (Barima- Waini), and Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni- Mazaruni).
Dr. Jagdeo expressed his hope that individuals registered for the part-time programme will make use of the scholarship opportunities.
While on the campaign trail, he remarked that many people wanted to know how they could apply for the scholarships that were being offered.
Although many of the scholarships are advertised, the Vice-President said that since the government has an open-door policy, people can contact them for further information.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
In order to generate more diverse opportunities for Guyana’s youth, Dr. Jagdeo said that he had urged community groups to gather people who are interested in being taught in a variety of fields, such as welding, plumbing, and carpentry.
Apart from relating that this will be done across the country, the Vice-President said: “I’ve asked several community groups to pull together people who want to trained, particularly, in the tech [vocational] area… and I hope that they will get in touch with me soon.”
