Honourable Joseph Hamilton, Minister of Labour, and Mr. Richard Maughn, Chief Executive Officer of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), met with representatives of George Brown College (GBC) today at the ministry’s Brickdam location to discuss expanding skills training opportunities in Guyana to create a skilled workforce.
Dr. Gervan Fearon, President, and Dr. Adel Esayed, Dean, Centre for Construction and Engineering Technologies of GBC, were among officials in attendance.
Areas of discussion included establishing a partnership between the two agencies to reinforce the ministry’s continuous efforts to generate a skilled workforce by equipping individuals with the essential skillset to be employable, as well as expanding train-the-trainer programmes.
Minister Hamilton spoke briefly about the ministry’s accomplishments during his leadership, including a significant increase in training opportunities for over 11,000 persons nationwide within three years compared to the previous Administration’s abysmal performance.
This achievement, he noted, will be enhanced as his ministry, through BIT, plans to develop new training programmes aimed at equipping individuals with the knowledge and expertise necessary to execute their duties more efficiently in 2024.
He emphasised that this plan will bring the ministry one step closer to realising its goal of making technical vocational educational training as prominent as academic learning.
Following the meeting, officials from both agencies will convene at a later date to deliberate and build a framework plan that will benefit persons interested in skills training while also aligning with both agencies’ priorities.
The George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology, founded in 1976, is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three campuses, offering more than 170 full-time programmes in arka and design, business, community services, early childhood education, construction and engineering technologies, health sciences, hospitality and culinary arts, preparatory studies, as well as specialised programmes and services for recent immigrants and international students.