– three recruited at RUSAL
Government’s programme of providing employable skills through competency based training for early school leavers has been gaining momentum.
Over 30 women from Kwakwani, Region Ten, graduated from an eight-week training programme in Information Technology (IT) and Office Procedure facilitated by the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute (GWLI) of the Ministry of Labour Human Services and Social Security.
They were all presented with certificates Saturday at a graduation ceremony in the auditorium of the Kwakwani Primary School in the presence of Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir, GWLI Coordinator Sheila Veerasammy, Social Services Director Wentworth Tanner, Regional Executive Officer of Region Ten Mark Hooper, Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Carol Horning, and Head of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) Alana Brassington.
Throughout the eight weeks there was no attrition and the programme was adjusted for slow learners who quickly caught up and were able to graduate the same time with the others.
The programme, themed Capacity Building for Skills Advancement, provides underprivileged and single parent women with the necessary education and training to develop their capacity for poverty reduction.
It was extended to Kwakwani following a needs analysis emanating from Minister Nadir’s visit to the area in June during a Cabinet outreach, when several concerns were raised.
Minister Nadir, in his charge to the graduates, described it as another example of government fulfilling the promise it makes when meeting with the grass roots in society. He alluded to several of the projects in Linden that are at present being undertaken following the recent Cabinet outreach to the town.
All of the 30 female students who began the training graduated, and it was announced that three of them have gained employment at the Russian Alumina Company (RUSAL).
Although the same may not apply for the other graduates, Minister Nadir advised them to be instrumental in their career oriented paths.
“Everyone won’t find a job at RUSAL… everyone won’t find a job in Georgetown or Linden, but opportunities exist… Minister Manickchand asked me to pass on this message to you, that you can see what little you can do for yourselves in terms of providing typing skills job services for people in the area,” Minister Nadir said.
Most of the students are early school leavers and were advised by the Social Services Director to aim high, regardless of their past circumstances. Tanner related the story of an early school leaver who passed through a similar programme and is now successful.
Asante Mittelholzer, a graduate of the programme, expressed gratitude to the Government for bringing the programme to Kwakwani.
There are many of us here that never had the chance to write CXC and it makes us want to go on and on,” Mittelholzer said.
The graduates were congratulated by the REO for doing the region proud. He noted that such a programme is a step in the right direction.
The GWLI has been offering a resident programme at Cove and John, East Coast Demerara, for underprivileged and single parent women and since 2005, and has been calling for training in rural and hinterland communities.
Minister Nadir referred to other programmes under government’s purview with the same objective. These include the BIT training for out of school youths, the Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training Programme by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and nurses training by the Ministry of Health.
“The government in developing programmes to give persons, especially young persons and women, employable skills; and as his Excellency said in his new year’s message , he is targeting 4,000 of these persons in 2010. This is just a small part,” Minister Nadir said.
Government has invested $131M in training; and according to Minister Nadir, “we will continue to train.”

(GINA)