-BIT CEO says, emphasises need for greater collaboration
THROUGH increased investment in training, education and job opportunities, Guyana continues to move full steam ahead towards developing a diverse and skilled workforce, according to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) under the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning, Richard Maughn.
This comes after he gained the opportunity to experience the systems behind the labour force across four U.S. states, namely, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin, Texas and Washington, D.C., during his participation in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), held under the theme, “Workforce and Business Development: Pathways for Youth.”
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle following the experience, Maughn noted that Guyana’s labour force and human-capacity development strategy already has all the needed aspects of a world-class labour force, but the only missing aspect, he shared, is the need for greater collaboration.
Recent years have seen Guyana strengthen its workforce through a number of steps in education, training and the opening of job and development opportunities. These steps, Maughn noted, have created the foundation of a labour force on par with international standards.
He explained that Guyana has already assessed and has begun work in combatting the same challenges faced by the world’s largest workforces.
“Guyana is on track in building a world-class labour market. A lot of what we are doing at the Board of Industrial Training is not much different from what a lot of people are doing around the world. The challenges young people elsewhere face are not much different from what Guyana’s youth face. Everybody may have different programmes, different approaches, but generally, people are working to achieve the same outcome; making sure young people receive the right skills and the right exposure. Guyana is on track,” he said.
The next step, he added, is collaboration. “There’s a lot happening when it comes to government support for education in general. The main thing we need is to collaborate with each other.”
The U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) saw Maughn, along with more than 20 other participants from some 20 different countries, gain first-hand experience of the systems that support the U.S. labour force. Recounting the experience, Maughn noted that the focus on youth in workforce development stood out to him, particularly as it is a shift he is also seeing in Guyana. “One of the key things when it comes to workforce development and the focus on youth for the people of the U.S. was the apprenticeship programme, for which the Board of Industrial Training is responsible,” he said. Maughn further pointed to the ILO’s Quality Apprenticeships Recommendation, 2023 (No. 208), which emphasises the importance of structured programmes, inclusivity, and the protection of apprentices’ rights, adding, “What I have come to realise is that everything for the U.S. when it comes to workforce development is interconnected. They are involved in internships, corporate education and apprenticeships, and what is happening with ILO Recommendation 208 asks us to focus more on apprenticeship. But in the U.S., it depends on what the labour force needs, what employers need, and what beneficiaries need, and as a sector, everything is interconnected,” he said.
Moreover, he noted that speaking with other participants in the programme highlighted the fact that Guyana faces challenges similar to countless other countries.
He noted that “One of the things that came out while we were there, 22 people from 20 different countries, with two people from South Africa and two from Egypt, is that the challenges we face here in Guyana are not unique to us. Most of us who were there were having similar experiences.”
However, Maughn noted that the discussion also highlighted the fact that Guyana is on the right track, adding, “One thing I know for sure is that the Board of Industrial Training is on the right path. A lot of what we have recommended over the years, a lot of what we have sought to implement, other countries are trying the same.”
While Maughn noted that the experience will help him rebuild and reignite confidence in the work of the BIT, it also highlighted that the steps Guyana is taking are not isolated or different from the rest of the world. Asked what he believes is the single biggest change he would bring back from the experience, Maughn pointed to systematic collaboration, stating, “What I would bring back to Guyana is the way everything works in a systematic manner.”
Maughn called for greater collaboration between the various bodies, agencies and the public and private sectors, to achieve a common goal of a fully developed, world-class workforce in Guyana. “It is about collaboration so we can achieve one common outcome. For us, that means making sure the labour force has people who are rightly trained and equipped to deal with the challenges, and to contribute to productivity and national development,” he added.
