BIT launches Reg 9 training programme to address skills gap

The Board of Industrial Training (BIT) has launched a groundbreaking training programme for residents of Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) with the aim of bridging the skills gap and providing opportunities for essential workforce development in the region.

With BIT’s new programme being aimed at equipping local residents with hands-on skills needed for employment and entrepreneurship, more than 100 participants would receive certification in vocational fields such as welding and fabrication, solar panel installation and repairs, heavy-duty equipment operation, electrical installation, and commercial food preparation. Moreover,
a Cosmetology programme will, for the first time ever, be offered in Lethem.
During the recent unveiling of the initiative, done at the Business Incubation Center in Lethem, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton noted that this new initiative highlights the increasing number of women participating in these types of programmes.
“Important to what we have done over the last four years is the fact that women are coming forward. We have women who are thinking outside the box, women who are ensuring that the world they were born into and grew up in…and I have the evidence: over the last four years, from 2020 to 2024…[executed] 38 programs in Region Nine; training 716 persons, of which 236 are males and 480 are females.”
Emphasising that creating opportunities like this would play a crucial role in closing the skills gap in Region Nine, which would ultimately aid the region in achieving self-sufficiency, The Labour Minister declared,
“Our first set of programs for 2025, between Lethem, Shulinab and Potarinau, will train 170 persons.”
He added, “And so we hope that many of you who graduate four or five months from now will fill that gap that we are speaking about.
“We currently have a difficulty of finding trainers to train people, and we would like that persons who would’ve been trained can soon train others. And, of course, the mayor indicated that the skills gap is very real…that is why we’re doing this: to ensure that we have adequately-trained persons,” Minister Hamilton explained.
Lethem Mayor John Macedo and Regional Chairman Brian Allicock, who were present at the event, conveyed their heartfelt appreciation for the programmes, and declared that they recognize its immense value in transforming communities.
As BIT expands training opportunities in South Central Rupununi, 54 residents from Shulinab and Potarinau — 30 females and 24 males — have commenced TVET training. These residents are set to receive technical and vocational training through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), under the Ministry of Labour in South Central Rupununi.
The training programmes — in Agro-Processing, Welding and Fabrication, Small Engine Repairs, Tourism and Hospitality, and Information Technology — officially commenced on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at the Shulinab Village Benab.
All BIT programmes are provided free of charge, and participants will receive all necessary materials upon completion.
During the launch of this initiative on Wednesday, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton highlighted that tourism would be taught for the first time under BIT, offering a new opportunity for residents.
Toshao Nicholas Fredericks and Toshao Brian Ambrose have expressed their gratitude for the initiative, acknowledging its potential to transform the lives of villagers.