30 inmates of New Amsterdam Prison trained in digital technology

Thirty inmates of the New Amsterdam Prison completed a 15-week Digital Skills Training Programme organised by the Home Affairs Ministry’s Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP), in collaboration with Avasant Foundation of the United States of America (USA).

The programme was funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with the main objective of aiding the rehabilitation and social transformation of the inmates upon their return to society.
The inmates received training in Web Design and Development, Entrepreneurship, Office 365, Leadership Skills and Social Behaviour, Customer Service, Communications, Sales and Marketing, Mathematics and English.
At a simple ceremony on Friday last at the New Amsterdam Prison, Director of Prisons (ag), Nicklon Elliot congratulated the inmates.
Elliot noted that the Guyana Prison Service is on a trajectory to improve the image of the organisation, through fulfilling the mandate of providing skills training opportunities for inmates, aiding their rehabilitation and better equipping them to make meaningful contributions to society upon re-entry.
The Project Manager of the CSSP, Vishraj Singh, also commended the inmates for their commitment and determination towards achieving a major milestone. He encouraged them to always push themselves to achieve more and reminded them that knowledge is power and education is the key to success.
Meanwhile, IDB’s country representative, Sophie Makonnen, who joined the ceremony virtually, acknowledged the work of the Government of Guyana in the rehabilitation of inmates.
She emphasised the importance of the Digital Skills Training Programme, noting that digital skills are no longer an option in the world today but an imperative.
Several inmates during the ceremony expressed their gratitude for the Digital Skills Training Programme, noting that they would have learnt many skills for the first time, such as designing a web page among others.