Continue striving for excellence – Hamilton tells 163 graduates from GITC

One hundred sixty-three persons are now more adequately equipped to seek employment after they graduated from Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC) on Wednesday.
The graduation ceremony, which was held at the National Cultural Centre, saw the graduands receiving certification in Data Operations, Electrical Installation, Furniture-Making, Metalwork Engineering, Motor Vehicle Repairs, Plumbing, Welding and Fabrication, and Masonry.
During his feature address Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton, encouraged the graduating class to continue striving for excellence in all their future endeavor, noting that the transformation of the nation is in their hands.
The skills that the graduates now possess, he said, are currently needed in the construction, manufacturing, civil engineering, mechanical, oil and gas, and hostility industries, given the demand for skill persons compared to the labour shortage in these markets.
Emphasising the importance of respecting skilled crafts alongside executive professions, Minister Hamilton urged the students to believe in themselves despite their social standing or economic background.
“Don’t let anyone look down upon you, don’t let anyone suggest to you because they are more literate than you, they are worthy than you. What takes you through this world to success is confidence. When no believe in you, you have to believe in yourself,” he emphasised.
Further, Hamilton encouraged the graduating class to not to cease their training at this point, but to strive for further advancement beyond the fundamental level of their training.
“Try to be one of a kind, different that people must be astonish at the work you can do into this society… you must be telling yourself even in your dream tonight that I have to be successfully I have to make it, there’s too many opportunities, there’s too many opportunities in this land for you not to succeed.”
The 163 GITC graduates now joins the 4,444 individuals, who graduated from the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) earlier this year.
BIT certified 187 individuals in Region One, 646 in Region Two, 320 in Region Three, 1,224 in Region Four, 254 in Region Five, 697 in Region Six, 265 in Region Seven, 118 in Region Eight, 190 in Region Nine, and 543 in Region Ten.
Hamilton said the programme demonstrates the Labour Ministry’s and the Government’s commitment to ensure that persons, particularly youths, have both skills and employability.

2023 work programme
The sum of $488.5 million dollars in budgetary provision was made available this year to the Ministry of Labour, trained approximately 7,890 locals and expand the work of The Board of Industrial Training (BIT).
To date, over 11, 000 persons have trained by BIT and fifty-six of that number is women.
BIT has been successful in empowering women to step out of their comfort zones and become certified and employed in male-dominated areas.
Back in September, Hamilton had disclosed that government’s focus is on encouraging women to become involved in ‘hard skills’, which means that there is more inclusion in programmes such as heavy-duty equipment operation, and welding and fabrication.
He stressed the importance of enhancing their knowledge while uplifting their livelihoods to earn an income through these training programmes, especially within the context of the growing demand for labour.
He had explained that this is important because the prolific oil and gas sector has attracted many foreign companies to Guyana, all of which require highly skilled persons to work. He said that the government is continuing its pursuit in ensuring Guyanese secure these jobs.