-Minister Hamilton says such initiatives will contribute to country’s long-term development plans

A TOTAL of 11 youths from across several regions were recently selected to be part of two programmes organised by MODEC (Guyana) Inc., which represents a vital step towards investing in Guyanese talent.

Recognising the critical role that local talent plays in shaping the future of the oil and gas industry, the company recently launched two important initiatives: its inaugural on-shore trainee programme and an internship programme.

Both programmes were designed to create employment opportunities and build sustained capacity in the local workforce, further ensuring that young Guyanese professionals are equipped to thrive in the ever-evolving energy sector.

Recruitment for both programmes began on August 7, 2024, and saw the company receiving over 1,000 applications from across Guyana. Following a thorough process, three Guyanese began an 18-month internship in December 2024, which will offer them opportunities within the Supply Chain, Human Resource and Compliance Departments.

Additionally, eight University of Guyana graduates were selected to participate in a comprehensive 20-month on-shore training programme which starts off in Brazil and ends with a five-month stint in Singapore.

This programme is designed for recent university graduates who aspire to develop key skills in critical areas such as the technical fields, commercial and contracts administration, electrical instrumentation and control operations, rotating equipment, and planning and integrity engineering.

It combines comprehensive training with mentorship, ensuring that they apply both technical and non-technical skills to enable them to excel in the oil and gas industry.

While delivering remarks at the MODEC trainee commencement ceremony held at the Centre for Local Business Development on Thursday, Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton stated that important to Guyana and its development is the long-term impact of such initiatives.

According to the minister, at present, the country is training people to ensure there are enough skilled personnel available for a short-term period.

“If you examine what is happening in the labour force, where are we short? In those technical areas, that is where we’re short. I will say this, that, when you’re building a thousand houses a year, what you have might be enough…” he said, adding that as a nation, building 5,000 or 10,000 houses will require more technical and skilled personnel in some areas.

He reiterated as well, the need for technical training to be heavily emphasised across the country’s education system, from nursery to the tertiary level.

Minister Hamilton urged participants to prepare to and to continue to learn and develop themselves so that they can be part of the conversations that may lead them to new opportunities.

“Important to your development, with all the business in developing careers, I would say to every young person, learn a foreign language. That will take you further than you’d want to go,” he said, emphasising that young people must not fail.

He told the youths present at the gathering that one thing that has always been constant over many years is that education will take you out of poverty.

Also delivering remarks at the ceremony was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor, Dr Paloma Mohamed-Martin who offered words of encouragement to the participants.

“The opportunities that young people and others have are so many, so wonderful and the potential that is resonant in our young people is so tremendous that when you see events like this, there is nothing that you can do but applaud them and say thank you so much,” the Vice-Chancellor expressed.

She reminded them that what they do, whether good or bad, will lay the groundwork for those coming after.

“So, you have an example to set, you have a standard to uphold not only for yourself and the university, but [also] for the honour of our country.”

The Country Manager of MODEC Guyana, Rafael Fumis, challenged the participants to utilise this knowledge to innovate and drive efficient operations on the FPSO in Rio de Janeiro, bringing value not only to MODEC, but to Guyana as a whole.

Acknowledging the first cohort of interns following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between MODEC and the University of Guyana in September last year, he pointed out that in December, the company welcomed the first three interns who are presently undergoing training and mentorship within MODEC’s supply chain, Legal Compliance, and Human Resources Departments.

He underscored that these initiatives are part of MODEC’s broader efforts to train the Guyanese workforce and ensure the continuous transfer of knowledge within Guyana’s growing oil and gas sector.

The Country Manager stated that MODEC expects to invest over GY$350 million in local capacity development this year. This represents the company’s unwavering commitment to developing a strong local workforce that is capable of driving innovation and excellence in the oil and gas sector.

The partners in this initiative are the Government of Guyana, the University of Guyana, ExxonMobil Guyana and the Local Content Secretariat. (Faith Greene)