24 Indigenous youths graduate in garment construction

Twenty-four indigenous youths from Regions One, Nine and Ten have graduated from the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs’ garment construction training programme, marking a pivotal step towards empowering hinterland communities.
The three-week training programme is part of the government’s wider Community Service Officers (CSOs) programme and saw 13 participants from Region One, Nine from Region Nine and Two from Region Ten.

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, congratulated the participants for successfully completing the three-week skills development programme during the simple graduation ceremony held at the Amerindian Village in Sophia on Friday.
“Garment construction is still a useful talent, a useful skill in every remote community. It is also useful for those who are desirous of making a profession out of it,” the minister said.
“We are in an era in this country where becoming skilled, specialised in certain trades is so important because our country is not only based on the technological era, but it is also based on highly specialised skills that will become in demand.”
Minister Sukhai further highlighted the government’s ongoing commitment to youth development, noting that the CSO initiative was revived by the current administration to build human capacity among the indigenous population.
Just last month, a similar graduation was held for CSOs trained in tractor repairs and maintenance.
Today, our country is placing special focus on the development of our human resources, and you are part of that human resource group that we are investing in.
Guyana’s government, under the stewardship of His Excellency, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has made it abundantly clear that Guyana will spare no opportunity to invest in our young people, women, farmers and professionals.
Launched in 2012, the CSO programme was designed to offer opportunities to indigenous youths who were unable to complete their formal education due to limited access in remote areas.
It encourages youths to contribute to their community’s development while receiving stipends, providing financial support and practical experience.
Despite the termination of the programme by the Opposition in 2015, upon resuming office in 2020, the PPP/C Administration has expanded it to include over 2,700 young people from across the hinterland.
The Amerindian Affairs Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to expanding these opportunities even more to ensure that indigenous communities are active participants in Guyana’s growing economy.