– opening pathways for employment
THE quiet farming district of Mahaica came alive on Friday, August 29, 2025, as the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) officially launched its first-ever Heavy-Duty Equipment Operation Programme at the Skills Development & Certification Centre.
The initiative has already attracted 23 trainees—19 males and four females—with registration still open to new applicants.
The landmark programme, designed to run for four months at no cost to participants, will equip trainees with the technical know-how, certification, and licensing required to operate excavators, skid-steer loaders, and other heavy-duty machinery.

Upon completion, participants will leave not only with practical skills but also with a license—an essential gateway to formal employment in Guyana’s growing construction and infrastructure sectors.
Delivering the feature address, Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton urged the trainees to approach the opportunity with discipline, perseverance, and focus.
“Your future depends on completing what you have started,” he reminded them, stressing that success in the field requires not just technical expertise but also responsibility and resilience.
Chief Executive Officer of BIT, Richard Maughn, described the launch as the fulfillment of an initiative years in the making, made possible by government investment in heavy-duty training machinery. “Guyana’s development depends on skilled operators,” Maughn said, noting that the country’s infrastructure drive—from road building to community projects—requires trained professionals who are licensed and job-ready.
The significance of the programme resonated deeply with local leaders as well. Unity Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Chairperson, Ms. Basmattie Singh, praised the initiative as a timely addition to the community, highlighting that Mahaica’s farming backbone relies heavily on machinery.
“This programme speaks directly to our needs,” she noted, welcoming the benefits it will bring to both agriculture and employment opportunities in the region.
The launch ceremony was attended by senior BIT officials, instructors, and community stakeholders, all of whom underscored the programme’s role in transforming lives by bridging the gap between training and employment.
For the 23 pioneering trainees, the programme represents much more than classes and fieldwork—it marks the beginning of new career pathways in one of the most in-demand fields of Guyana’s development agenda. And for Mahaica, it symbolises a step toward community empowerment, where skills meet opportunity in a nation on the rise.