First Lady urges students to capitalise on learning experience

First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, attended the opening ceremony for the fourth Buxton Information and Communication Technology (ICT) training programme at the Friendship Primary School. The programme, which is a collaborative effort between the Office of the First Lady and the Social Protection Ministry, is expected to run for 13 weeks.

The First Lady told the students that they were fortunate to be benefiting from this training programme and encouraged them to capitalise on the opportunity and to learn all that they can. “In this world, technology does not stand still. You keep moving, you keep changing and you keep learning. The key element to take away from this is that this course is preparing you for the world of work. I want you to enjoy these weeks… [You] can do anything you put [your] mind to,” Granger said

Meanwhile, Information Technology (IT) Technician and Co-ordinator of Science, Technology, and Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Guyana Project, Karen Abrams, who delivered the charge to the participants, encouraged them to seize the opportunity given to them.

“You are now given access to opportunity… You have the opportunity to learn all these things that are very important fundamentals. From this stage you will be able to take those tools and use them to solve problems within your communities. Don’t just complain about the problem. Use the tool of technology that you have access to [and] create solutions,” Abrams is quoted by the Government Information News Agency (GINA) as saying.

The participants are between the ages of 16–25 and the sessions will be held three days per week; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Each participant will be awarded a certificate of successful completion, which is accredited by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT).