Govt to train, employ 50-plus Leopold Street youths in construction sector – Pres Ali

In keeping with his Government’s commitment to improve the lives of all Guyanese, President Dr Irfaan Ali has promised to work with the youths of the troubled Leopold Street in Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, by having them trained to take up jobs in the construction sector.
This announcement was made on Sunday when the Head of State conducted a walkabout in the area. He was accompanied by Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn and Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken along with senior members of the Guyana Police Force.
President Ali told the residents that he and his team were there because they want to work with them.

“How can we help you? What are your concerns? How can we integrate you? How can we help the young people to have a better life? How we can give the young people training and development because the economy that we have today, we need people… We need people to be trained in carpentry, in masonry, we need people to be trained technically and in welding… We do not want to lose our young people,” the Guyanese leader posited.
The Head of State informed the residents that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration wants to have young people “actively and positively” involved in the development and transformation of Guyana. This way, he explained, they too can get opportunities to live a better life.
“We want to ensure that we can give you this opportunity… and once we do this, that will send the message that every community has the capacity to contribute positively to the development of our country… Every community has the capacity to make a positive influence regardless of the challenges.”
“We have to ensure that our young people are trained, that our young people are equipped. We have to ensure the women in our society live a more healthy and positive life. We have to ensure that we have the conditions here that will allow all the children to be in school… I’m here to push this agenda,” the President declared.
During the engagement, the President was told that there are more than 50 young persons in Leopold Street who are skilled and are currently unemployed.
To this end, the Guyanese leader disclosed that Minister Benn will be leading the efforts in the area to work with residents, especially the young people who need to be trained.

Two-week training
President Ali recommended that these young people be engaged and undergo a two-week training in carpentry and masonry to prepare them for employment opportunities. He said that they will be incorporated in the Ministry of Housing’s programme to work on the construction of homes.
According to the Head of State, the Home Affairs Minister will be leading a full team to Leopold Street on Tuesday including private sector players who are also looking to recruit people to do welding and fabrication works.

“The Housing Ministry will be here to recruit people because right now we need people in the construction sector. So, the opportunities will come and they will come directly in the community to you… This is your opportunity. We don’t have excuses anymore. You do not have the excuses anymore. We’re coming to find you to be trained to give you necessary skills so that you can be functioning in the economy, you can be part of the transformation, you can be part of the development,” Ali posited.
However, even as he committed to working with young people in Leopold Street to get jobs, President Ali implored that the residents ensure the young children are in school. He underscored the importance of education in uplifting the lives of people as well as communities.
“We’re going to work with you every single day but you have to promise me the children are going to be in school,” he stressed.

Roads/drainage
Meanwhile, during the engagement with residents, concerns were raised about the state of the roads in the area. Consequently, the Head of State revealed that Government will work with youths from the community to fix the drainage and roads there.
“We’re gonna use the concrete road in the community here so we have to fix the drainage and the road. But they are gonna [come] in to engage the young people so we can work with them to do this… They’ll work with us in the drainage and community work here but they will [also] work in the housing programme in the building of the houses,” the President stated.
The Guyanese leader further told the residents that he is reaching out to them because of his concern for every single citizen of the country in every community.
“The plan and programme that we have for the development of Guyana involves every single citizen, it involves every single community, it involves every single face… It’s not a plan in which people sit in front cameras at a press conference and talk nonsense. It’s not a plan that is hatched in Congress Place or at Freedom House. It’s a plan that comes from the heart. It’s a plan that comes from our programme that we went to the elections with and that plan is to bring prosperity to everybody,” Ali contended. (G8)