GCCI, Human Services Ministry collaborate to provide jobs for vulnerable groups

The Human Service and Social Security Ministry has joined forces with the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), to create platforms and opportunities to assist persons in the vulnerable bracket in securing jobs.
Human Services Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud would have facilitated a virtual meeting between members of GCCI where discussions circled the creation of a database of job availabilities in the Private Sector and the development of business models to create niche markets for vulnerable groups. This would be open to single-parent mothers.
The meeting also focused on ways the Chamber could partner with the Ministry to address social and welfare issues. Minister Persaud disclosed her intentions of establishing community and women-led businesses, which will target women in disadvantaged situations and single-parent mothers.
She explained that when the projects are materialized, the benefactors “would be taught skills, marketing and budgeting” and the three factors to drive the initiatives will be education, mentorship and financial independence.
To this end, Minister Persaud proposed that GCCI support the Ministry by designing a number of business models to develop markets these community and women-led projects.
Touching on job opportunities, the Minister stated that persons with disabilities should be given opportunities to make a tangible impact in society and urged that “each company should at least employ one or two individuals who are deaf and have other disabilities and be paid equally.”
Following the discourse, GCCI will share with the Ministry a “database for employment availability” within the Private Sector and will be “putting together a working committee” to ensure a productive relationship with the Ministry.
Private Sector agencies have been active in support of Government’s efforts to create jobs on the local market. Less than one week ago, the Education Ministry and the Private Sector Commission (PSC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to recognise the micro-credentials of Guyanese who successfully complete the online courses offered by the Commonwealth of Learning and Coursera.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand explained that following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which led to many persons being forced out of employment, the Commonwealth of Learning and Coursera came together and decided that they were going to craft a workforce recovery programme.
She said that the programme allowed persons across the Commonwealth to increase their skills, to re-skill or to enhance what they already had. According to the Minister, Guyana, as a member of the Commonwealth, received invitations in March and June 2020 to join the programme, but those offers were not taken up.
However, the Education Minister said that on her entry to office, another invitation was issued and it was decided that Guyana would take up the offer, since there were persons who needed to enhance their qualifications or re-skill completely.
In over two weeks of having launched the initiative in Guyana, more than 35,000 persons have registered to complete courses, with over 17,500 persons on the platform working to complete their courses. Further, thus far, 970 persons have graduated from the programme.