$84M in contracts signed for new BIT training centers in Berbice

In an effort to decentralise its services and ensure citizens from all across the country are afforded equal opportunities, the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) is moving to open two new training centres in Corriverton and New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
The New Amsterdam centre will be constructed by NK Enterprise Inc to the tune of $44.8 million and the Corriverton training centre will be constructed by Perba Trading and Construction at an investment of $39.9 million.

Speaking at the contract signing ceremony, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton noted that the training facilities will be constructed at Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQ) standards.
In his charge to the contractors and consultants, Minister Joseph Hamilton stressed that efforts are being made to ensure Guyanese not only have the knowledge and skills but are also certified.
“We have to do this building, and even the training rooms and so, to the CVQ standard. It’s useless we build a training facility that is just another training facility, we have to build a training facility that is at the level of the Caribbean Vocational Standard,” the Minister pointed out.
Moreover, he noted that though the centres are being constructed for use by the BIT, they will house the Ministry’s Labour offices within the region.
“The building is being built for the Board of Industrial Training. Labour will have offices there but it’s not a Labour office. It is a training building but we’ll have Labour offices to facilitate work that we do in the region,” Hamilton added.
Meanwhile, in a bid to ensure more persons benefit from training through the Board of Industrial Training, plans are afoot to refurbish several buildings across the country. These include areas like Bartica, Mahaica, Lethem, and Annai.