-as gov’t ramps up Orange Economy focus

THE Government of Guyana, through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), under the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning, continues to invest in the nation’s rapidly expanding Orange Economy, with 107 Guyanese recently graduating from skills training programmes conducted in collaboration with the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC).

The graduates were recognised during a graduation ceremony held at MovieTowne Cinemas on Wednesday.

According to BIT Chief Executive Officer Richard Maughn, the initiative forms part of the Board’s continued efforts to respond to changing demands within Guyana’s labour market and provide opportunities for persons to develop new competencies and skills amid a growing orange economy.

Speaking following the graduation, Maughn noted that the programme is a collaborative one, with BIT collaborating with the University of the Southern Caribbean as well as the Guyana Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists.

He explained that the conference approached BIT last year about implementing a programme focused on television and production.

“The Board of Industrial Training chose to collaborate with USC because the university is well established, well recognised, and has the years of operation. We believe that programmes coming out of this university will be of high quality, and that we will be able to reach the persons we intend to service,” he said.

He noted that while the Professional Development Institute at USC primarily caters to persons with bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees, it also provides opportunities for individuals without those qualifications.

“It allows persons to upskill themselves, to reskill themselves, and individuals who generally want to develop competency,” Maughn said.

The decision to hold the graduation at MovieTowne was intentional, he said, explaining that the venue allowed graduates to see the three short films produced on a large cinema screen, which he noted was well received.

“I believe those individuals who were involved in the scriptwriting and general production of those films would have been well pleased,” Maughn said, adding, “I think it would motivate them to realise that if they could do this for a small film, they can do a movie. The audio was okay, the cinematography was good, so I think it would motivate them to believe they can produce their own movie.”

Meanwhile, Multimedia Production Officer at USC, David Barker, said the course gave participants an opportunity to understand what was possible within television and film production, despite limitations and a two-week time frame.

“The students are the ones who wrote it, directed it, helped edit it, did the lighting, the audio, everything. Most of the work was done by the students,” Barker said.

He explained that the participants were divided into different groups, resulting in the production of three films, while ensuring that everyone had an opportunity to gain practical experience. “I think that is a great opportunity we can use to propel it further, because doing that in that short space of time, only about two weeks, is not normal. From my experience, usually that is months, even for a short film,” he said.

Graduates received training in areas including video production, drone operation, social media strategy, digital marketing, visual design and culinary arts, disciplines that are increasingly relevant to Guyana’s expanding creative, tourism, media and business sectors.

Moreover, Barker said the students were also exposed to social media and corporate video production, which focused on creating content for businesses, government and other institutions.

He explained that the students were required to complete assignments, including editing interviews and producing advertisements, with participants responsible for shooting, editing, producing and writing scripts.

“It was an engaging class, I pushed the envelope in terms of participation to go through the course, and I think it was very successful, because a lot of the students really had the talent,” Barker added.

Maughn said the programme speaks directly to the government’s focus on developing Guyana’s Orange Economy.

“Most of the other programmes we have done, when it comes to social media, marketing, and so on, also speak to the screen economy, which is a big industry right now,” he said.

He highlighted that BIT is not only focused on traditional industries such as oil and gas and general engineering but is also responding to changing labour market demands through programmes such as those offered in collaboration with USC.

“The Board of Industrial Training is not just focusing on the traditional industries we have worked in, we are also very cognisant of the changing demand within the labour market, and that is why we have implemented these programmes in collaboration with a well-recognised university,” he said.