610 Guyanese denied training after $90.8M spent for scholarships for APNU Ministers, families – Hamilton

– says over 10,000 trained with $982M investment under PPP

The $90.8 million spent under the former APNU/AFC coalition Government for scholarships to four ministers and their children could have trained 610 Guyanese instead.
Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton provided these optics on Monday as he responded to criticisms raised by Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Roysdale Forde on the $1.146 trillion National Budget as the debates kicked off.
In slamming the Opposition, Hamilton said, “He (Forde) said citizens live their experience; and he is so right. Between 2015 and 2020, the citizens lived their experiences governed by the APNU/AFC, and that is why, after one term, they kicked them to the Opposition.”
Hamilton raised the issue of several former APNU/AFC Ministers and their children allegedly benefitting from scholarships during that party’s tenure. Among those who benefitted, he said, were: Annette Ferguson, former Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, to the tune of $2.68 million; former Education Minister Nicolette Henry, to the tune of $10.4 million; former Public Service Minister Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, to the tune of $2.68 million; and two children of Simona Broomes, former Minister within the Social Protection Ministry, to the tune of $74.9 million.

“The sum total of this is that four ministers and their families utilised $90.8 million… The fact of the matter is that 610 Guyanese were denied training by five ministers of the previous Government. And they come to this noble House with all kinds of (pretences) that (they) care about the Guyanese people!” Hamilton has said.
Giving an update of work done under the PPP, it was disclosed that the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) has already engaged 11,275 beneficiaries under 549 projects across Guyana. This means that 4,283 males and 6,992 females have received training between 2020 and 2023.
Another 638 females were engaged by BIT in 21 non-traditional areas, such as electrical installation, AC refrigeration technician, and heavy-duty equipment operation. Residents of hinterland and riverine communities accounted for 20 percent of those trained; and
in total, Government invested $982.1 million in the lives of Guyanese through skilling, upskilling and reskilling TVET programmes.
Minister Hamilton outlined that the Labour Ministry, through its various programmes, has allowed persons to stand on their feet and earn a living at any age.

“The BIT programme serves as a motivational pillar, propelling participants towards success beyond the classroom. This comprehensive programme extends beyond technical skills to equip beneficiaries with central life skills such as business approaches, workplace safety, and language proficiency,” he said.
Implementation of the National Apprenticeship Programme saw 233 persons engaged in 2023 at three master plants: Guyana Industrial Training Centre, BOSAI, and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). This is a significant increase from only 60 under the APNU over the course of four years.
In 2023, a sum of $2.7 billion was expended on key TVET initiatives by which 2,049 persons graduated from institutions across the country; and approximately 4,940 persons will be trained in 2024, in which $2.3 billion has been allocated to support technical and vocational interventions.
It is projected that 7,890 persons will be trained by BIT in areas such as electrical installation, plumbing, furniture-making, general building construction and heavy-duty equipment operation, among other areas, at a cost of $500 million.
The number of training programmes offered for Caribbean vocational qualifications would also be increased from 88 to 111. A new TVET policy for the medium term would be developed in the first half of 2024 to define and govern skills’ development systems for post-secondary, tertiary, formal, non-formal and informal sectors.
Importantly, Phase One of the Guyana Technical Training College (GTTC) at Port Mourant will become operational, and 250 students will form the first cohort to commence specialised factory simulation training in mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation engineering. When their training is completed in 6 months, these students would be ready to take up employment in the oil and gas industry. (Rupa Seenaraine)