The Labour Ministry on Tuesday reported that some 12,000 persons have been trained through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) since 2020 to date thus signalling an investment of over $169 million by the Government of Guyana.
Of this total, 1,490 persons were trained in 2024. This achievement was highlighted by Subject Minister Joseph Hamilton during his Ministry’s end-of-year press briefing. According to Hamilton, the majority of those trained have been women.
“Importantly, since 2020, we have trained 12,765 persons across the country 5,077 males and 7,688 females.” He further noted that a significant number of women are now venturing into traditionally male-dominated fields.
“An important aspect of these statistics is the fact that we have been able to encourage hundreds of women to participate in what we call hard-skills programmes. Across the country, we have seen women joining training areas they were excluded from for decades,” Hamilton explained.
Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton
The Minister also emphasised efforts to challenge societal perceptions regarding gender roles in employment following the realisation that out of the total population trained 60 per cent are women.
“In some instances, based on men’s thought processes about what is ‘man’s work’ and what is ‘woman’s work,’ we are changing that. Our data shows that 60 per cent of those trained over the last four years are women,” Hamilton said.
These women have been trained in areas such as air conditioning technology, auto electrical work, electrical installation, and equipment operation. In 2024, the Ministry also partnered with both local and international organisations to enhance training programmes.
In addition, Hamilton announced an upcoming initiative, beginning January 13, 2025, which will be funded by the World Bank and supervised by the United Energy Agency.
This programme will be executed by the BIT and aims to train 20 women—two from each region—to become specialists in solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology.
“Essentially, these women will be trained to become trainers themselves. This programme, which will last two years, is at a higher level than previous ones and is fully funded by the World Bank,” Hamilton stated.
He noted that this initiative builds on a previous programme, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which trained 75 women from regions 7 and 9 in solar PV technology.
Meanwhile, Hamilton also revealed a new collaboration with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to benefit youths in at-risk situations.
“We are partnering with the USAID – Y-RIE (Youth Resilience, Inclusion, and Empowerment) programme to train 90 youths in at-risk situations. Thirty will be from the Albouystown/Charlestown area, 30 from the Sophia area, and 30 from New Amsterdam,” the Minister announced.
These efforts demonstrate the Government’s commitment to providing diverse and inclusive training opportunities across Guyana.
