Get certified or risk losing jobs to skilled foreign workers – AG to Guyanese

…says ‘we don’t want to be dominated by foreigners’; regulations being developed

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, on Tuesday urged Guyanese to seize opportunities to gain the qualifications and certifications needed to compete in the country’s evolving economy, noting that they are increasingly competing with skilled and disciplined foreign workers for jobs.
He noted that as the government continues to invest in education, training, upskilling and reskilling the population, it is also pursuing regulatory and legislative changes aimed at ensuring a fair balance between opportunities available to foreign workers and those available to Guyanese.
Nandlall made the remarks during a graduation ceremony for 288 individuals from the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) National Training Project for Youth Empowerment that targeted persons from Unity and surrounding communities along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).
According to the Attorney General, the country’s most important resource is its people, and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration continues to demonstrate this through its investments and programmes.
“Our government is prepared to invest our last and bottom dollar in ensuring that you, the people, remain the focus of our energies, our programmes, our developmental plans, and everything indeed that we do in government, you are the reason why we are in government and every developmental initiative launched by our government is intended ultimately to impact positively on your life,” he remarked.
The Attorney General acknowledged Guyana’s status as the world’s fastest-growing economy, noting that this rapid growth has been accompanied by significant labour challenges.

Disciplined undocumented migrants
At the same time, he highlighted that the country is dealing with “undocumented migrants” who are “disciplined, who are educated, and who are skilled, and they are competing for that jobs that you should get”.
“We live in a free economy, we can’t just not hire people once they are qualified, because they are foreigners,” Nandlall pointed out.
He emphasised that while the government is putting systems in place to prioritise locals, Guyanese have to qualify themselves for the jobs becoming available in the new economy.
“We are currently in the process of establishing a statutory framework by adjusting the relevant laws or passing new laws to protect the patrimony of Guyanese against the infusion of persons from different lands who will make their homes here. That’s how the world operates. The Govenrment of Guyana has a primary and principal duty to ensure that you are accorded all the priorities and the first preferences, that we have no apologies for saying that, that is your birthright, but my dear brothers and sisters, you have to also help yourselves, you have to qualify yourselves, you have to be certified,” he asserted.
For instance, Nandlall pointed to the new hotels being established across the country, underscoring the importance of qualifications in landing jobs with internationally-recognised brands.
“If you go Plaisance line top, you get the best black pudding, you get the best fried fish, you get the best souse, but the people who mekking it dont have a piece of paper to say that they can cook. Now when they go to the Hilton, the Holiday Inn and the Marriott for a job as a chef, they will not hire you, even if you are the best cook, unless you are certified,” he highlighted.
Similarly, he explained that “when they want the maintenance man, you can be the best plumber, the best mason, the best electrician, but if you don’t have the paperwork, if you don’t have the certification, they will employ you as a clerk, and somebody with the certification will boss over you and get the salary and opportunities that you should get but you can’t get because you didn’t qualify yourself”.
Nandlall posited that “the last thing we want is for this country to be dominated by foreigners and that is why we’re going to put regulatory framework in place”, but he cautioned that it is a free economy.

Global village
“Remember, we live in a world today that is considered a global village and people are free to come here, so you have to be prepared to accept your responsibilities as Guyanese and be prepared to lead this country going forward,” he expressed.
The Attorney General noted that the government has made significant investments to open up opportunities to educate the population, not only through BIT but through the GOAL scholarship programme, free University of Guyana education, and the specialised Oil and Gas Training Institute as well as the Tourism and Hospitality Training Centre.

“Take Guyana forward”
Meanwhile, also delivering remarks at the graduation ceremony was Labour and Manpower Planning Minister, Keoma Griffith, who similarly encouraged the graduates to take the country forward.
“We are hoping that in every single sphere, every single category of skilled persons we are graduating today, you will have the ability to go and take Guyana forward. We want you to impact the labour market in a magnificent way…you are now equipped with skills for Guyana’s changing economy, it is incumbent now upon you to do your best, to serve your community, to serve Guyana and to take Guyana forward,” Minister Griffith expressed.
Under the programme, 164 males and 124 females completed 14 training projects across eight occupational areas, including AC & Refrigeration Servicing and Repairs, Commercial Food Preparation, Electrical Installation, Furniture Making, Heavy-Duty Equipment Operation, Information Technology and Introduction to Agro-Processing Technologies.
Approximately $21.5 million was invested by the Government of Guyana in delivering the training through agencies including the Guyana Seventh-day Adventist, Beterverwagting Practical Instruction Centre and Buxton Practical Instruction Centre.
This investment forms part of a wider effort to equip Guyanese with practical, market-driven skills. From 2020 to 2026, some 1,243 persons along the East Coast corridor, comprising 450 males and 793 females, were trained across 13 occupational areas, representing an investment of approximately $119.4 million.
Currently, at the Unity Training Centre, another 93 persons, including 87 males and six females, are being trained in Heavy-Duty Equipment Operation, Welding & Fabrication and Electrical Installation.