AS Guyana rapidly transitions into a more advanced and diversified economy, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has emphasised the need for government-backed support to help young people retool and prepare for emerging opportunities.

Speaking during his weekly press conference on Wednesday, Dr. Jagdeo reflected on a recent engagement with students from the University of Guyana’s Economics Society, where many inquired about career paths best aligned with the country’s evolving economic landscape.

“I said, you’re going to have a lot of jobs here, but you have to pick the right areas too… so people have to be retooled for this new economy,” Dr Jagdeo recounted.

To this end, he stated that he spoke on some of the sectors where they can expect high-paying job expansion, such as smart agriculture, cybersecurity, and other areas focusing on artificial intelligence.

Dr Jagdeo added that many of the students from the Government Technical Institute (GTI) were interested in these fields, and as such, he indicated, “Now we have to support them to do those kinds of things.”

While questions were raised about the possibility of job obsolescence with the rise of AI, he noted that while this may be a problem globally, it may not be so in Guyana and can be more of an opportunity.

“With the small workforce and the huge need for labour that will come in the future, we’ll be able to accommodate our people, not so in many parts of the world,” he added.

During his meeting with the youths at the last month at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Dr Jagdeo had stressed the importance of getting hands-on training and not just being taught theories.

He noted that while the government is already providing free education for its people, he is hoping the UG can now focus on other areas, such as addressing age-old issues and building capacity.

Many youths had raised the issue that the job market is calling for experience, but the university is focusing more on teaching theories.

The Vice President shared with the students: “When I was Minister of Finance, I made an offer to UG. At that time, I said to them, ‘Why don’t you allow students to come, particularly final year students, and be seconded to the office of the budget debt management, the Bank of Guyana, the Accountant General’s department, all of these places; so when they come out of UG, they come out [with the] idea what the practical world of work looks like…’

“The offer was never taken off, and so I don’t see a problem with us trying to move back to something like that to get people exposed, and it could become part of the curriculum, so they have to get a report and maybe part of the testing system in university.”

He agreed with the students that the university should do more and pledged that the government would ensure it is facilitated.

“We expect the people to come out ready for their job market, and the internship should be a routine part; the university is, in a way, I don’t want to be too critical…it’s become like routine. They just try to get through programmes. Sometimes it’s not the quality of the output that matters anymore,” he said.

The Vice President also highlighted that the government’s job is to give its people an education and the opportunities, stating: “That’s why I’m saying if what you train on must be appropriate, you’ve got to make decisions. That’s how it operates around the world. So, mindset changes have to take place at every level, not only at the government, but even the people requiring training.”

Guyana has turned a transformative page in its educational journey: tuition at the University of Guyana is now officially free.

This move by the Government of Guyana, fulfilling a key promise of the PPP/C, marks a major leap toward educational equity and national development.

Beyond UG, the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) continues to widen the horizon, awarding scholarships to nearly 30,000 citizens for online studies — both locally and internationally.

Together, these initiatives signify not just access, but advancement—breaking the cycles of poverty and unlocking human potential on a national scale.