AIMED at providing more opportunities for women in the hinterland regions, the Office of the First Lady, on Monday, awarded 10 scholarships.
First Lady, Arya Ali, at the scholarship award ceremony which was held at State House, said that the 10 young women are among the first set of trailblazers who will reshape the maritime industry in profound ways.

The 10 young women will pursue cadet certificate programmes as Officer in Charge of navigational watch or Officer in Charge of engineering watch.
She said that while the maritime sector remains the backbone of international trade, the global shipping industry is suffering acute crewing shortages – an issue that presents an opportunity for Guyana to join the ranks of countries that supply crews globally.

The scholarship initiative is one being undertaken by her office, Tidewater Inc., AA Maritime and Offshore Training Institute and the Ministry of Public Works.
Speaking specifically on why this programme targets women specifically, she said that at sea, women remain vastly underrepresented, accounting for just one per cent of the total number of seafarers despite the steady increase in the number of women joining the industry.

“Now, imagine if we were to make more opportunities like these available to women, how many of our challenges in the maritime sector could be addressed, including crewing shortages,” she said.

Mrs. Ali told the gathering that her office and, by extension, the Government of Guyana supports gender equality and the empowerment of women through gender specific fellowships and other opportunities.

She added that this is why when Tidewater offered to provide support, they immediately thought of a gender specific programme which would achieve several things.
Firstly, she noted that it provides highly specialised training opportunities to young women in a deliberate attempt to achieve greater gender parity in a male-dominated industry.

Added to this, the First Lady noted, “This programme ensures that women from our hinterland regions, particularly our indigenous women, have access to the same kinds of academic and training opportunities that those of us on the coastland usually have.”

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, during brief remarks, said that the implementation of this programme will put Guyana in a position where more women will be seen not just in office but in the operations and involvement in the real business in the maritime sector.

He further noted that it is also a testimony of the opportunities that can be provided when the private sector and public sector work together.
“So, we are bridging the gap in careers and working with girls and young women, to ensure particularly that underserved areas are heavily impacted,” he said.

President and Chief Executive Officer of Tidewater Inc., Quintin Kneen, said: “This initiative is not just about education or training, it’s about access, it’s about breaking barriers that have stood for too long.”

Kneen, while noting that this training transforms lives, added that they will be cheering the cadets on along the journey and expressed his pride in them taking up the opportunity.
Subsequently, a framework agreement was signed between the Office of the First Lady and Tidewater Inc. aimed at further supporting such opportunities.