–with more skills training, support for entrepreneurs, other investments in Guyanese
–Dr. Singh, Minister Hamilton highlight at commissioning of new $55.4M BIT centre in Region Six

THE Government of Guyana continues to advance its investments in education, job-creation and skills training initiatives, with the commissioning of another skills development and certification centre in Region Six.

The facility which costs $55.4 million adds to those already constructed and opened by the government across the country.
Since the President Irfaan Ali-led administration assumed office in August 2020, it has remained committed to investing in and advancing educational opportunities for persons across the country with more than 82,000 persons trained to date and 60,000 jobs created.

This year, the government allocated a further $175 billion in the 2025 budget to improve the quality of education being delivered to all Guyanese.
In the area of technical and vocational training, the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) which comes under the purview of the Ministry of Labour has been constructing training facilities to strengthen its community-based TVET initiatives.

In February this year, a $44.8 million BIT Skill Development and Certification Centre was opened in Region Six and this second facility commissioned at Corriverton will add to the growing number of these facilities opened by Government to help bridge the country’s skills gap.

Delivering the feature address at the event, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service Dr. Ashni Singh explained to those at the event that with Guyana being the fastest growing economy in the world and more investments and expansion, there would be more jobs being created and more opportunities available.
The minister indicated that “we are seeing more investments in every single sector in the economy than any other time in the history of our economy. We are seeing more skills being demanded than in any other point in time in the history of our country, we are seeing more people working than any other time in our country.”

He alluded to President Irfaan Ali’s words that ‘we are living in the era of opportunities” as he reminded that today, education is being provided from nursery to university free of cost while training is provided free of cost across all technical and vocational institutions. He also noted that there are more employment and entrepreneurial opportunities than at any other time.
“You have a greater opportunity now more than at any other time in history to set up a small business, not only to get employment, and if you think about it, you have people who have been trained in food preparation, cosmetology and electrical installation,” Dr. Singh highlighted.

He further encouraged persons to not only seek employment to work for others, but also to open their own businesses, with opportunities available even in the online advertising and marketing sector especially since the government liberalised telecommunications when it assumed office in 2020.

“So, the Guyana that we are building, there are several pieces to this-the economic growth means more people are investing, more people are creating jobs and looking for people with skills, more people are working and earning incomes and spending and consuming differently, and then we are training people so that we can get the skills that we would be able to meet the needs of the new economy. We are training, and we are certifying you and we have taken off VAT off of data and off of your devices so that you may advertise your services,” he added.
Minister Singh then concluded that under the PPP/C Government led by President Ali, the Guyana that is being built is a Guyana that will be ripe with opportunities for every single Guyanese.

THOUSANDS BENEFIT
Addressing those in attendance at the opening ceremony, Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton alluded to the thousands of persons who have already been trained, graduated and have been adding to the growing labour force in the country.

Referring to when the PPP/C assumed office in 2020, Minister Hamilton explained, “When we went into communities, many did not know BIT existed…under the previous government, they trained about 6,000 persons in five years.

In five years, we would have trained 15,000 people, one hundred per cent and more, and importantly, 60 per cent of those persons are female, and we have moved into what we call non-traditional areas. From Regions One to Ten, BIT is now visible.”

Minister Hamilton related that government then moved into another phase of constructing training units and thus these training facilities are being constructed at Corriverton, New Amsterdam, Unity, Tuschen, Port Kaituma, Mahdia and Lethem in Region Nine. He noted too that in Region Seven, Government is tasked with training 2,400 for one of the largest gold mines being developed there.

This year, in addition to its many other initiatives to improve the lives of young people, Government also made access to the University of Guyana free of cost to the benefit of 11,000 current students and future students, as well as launched the UG loan write-off programme.

Additionally, the administration has removed the tuition fees from every government technical and vocational training institute as well as announced that it would cover the cost of up to eight subjects for students sitting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

Phase one of the Guyana Technical Training College (GTTC) at Port Mourant was also completed and commissioned with a second cohort of 32 students having graduated from this institution recently, while the first National Hospitality and Training Institution is under construction in Berbice to assist in upskilling the skills gap within the tourism industry.

MORE OPPORTUNITIES
During a public meeting recently in that region, Minister Singh explained that the groundwork has already begun by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government to alter the socio-economic landscape of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) to create more opportunities in the various development sectors such as oil and gas, tourism, health, and education.
He noted that the PPP/C’s vision is to transform the lives of every citizen across the country, while noting that works are being executed already to achieve this.

Dr. Singh alluded to ongoing construction in Region Six of a new hospital in New Amsterdam expected to create over 500 jobs, as well as a new nursing school for persons to acquire training, the international stadium being constructed at Palmyra, international hotels, malls and restaurants being constructed and the business and employment opportunities being created in Region Six.

He had also indicated that it is government’s intention to make Port Mourant the technical and vocational capital of the region.
Between 2020 and 2025, Government’s BIT invested $1.14 billion in skills training to the benefit of over 15,000 persons across the country of which almost 3,000 persons benefitted in Region

Six through partnerships with technical institutes, community organisations, private workshops, and beauty and catering enterprises.
This effort spanned over 35 villages, including New Amsterdam, Port Mourant, Rose Hall, Canje, Albion, and Black Bush Polder.

The commissioning of the centre today symbolised the government’s sustained commitment to decentralising TVET, enhancing workforce readiness, and fostering a more inclusive, skilled society.

Also speaking and in attendance at the commissioning ceremony were Regional Chairman of Region Six, David Armogan and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board of Industrial Training, Richard Maughn.