Human Services Ministry takes women-centred jobs, skills drive to Region 6

Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud on Wednesday led a wide-ranging outreach across Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) aimed at positioning women at the centre of the government’s economic empowerment and skills-development agenda.
The minister’s engagements took her to Corriverton, Albion, and New Amsterdam, where she met directly with women, jobseekers, educators, and community members as part of a coordinated government service and employment outreach.
The visit focused on expanding women’s access to free training, job opportunities, and new income pathways, while bringing ministry services directly into communities through on-site engagement and recruitment.
Central to the outreach was the promotion of government-supported training and upskilling programmes designed to prepare women for participation in emerging sectors of the economy, including the care economy, skilled trades, and community-based enterprises. The minister encouraged women to view training not as an option, but as a necessary step toward long-term financial independence.
Women were urged to take advantage of programmes offered through the Women’s Innovation Investment Network, which provides free, hybrid training opportunities, as well as internationally recognised City and Guilds certification in areas such as carpentry, masonry, plumbing, welding, and electrical installation. The training, she noted, opens doors not only to employment but also to entrepreneurship and community-based service delivery.
The outreach also highlighted the government’s economic strategy, including the development of the care economy and the orange economy, and the role women can play in those sectors through preparation, skills acquisition, and innovation.
As part of the Region Six tour, the ministry hosted job fairs at multiple locations, including the Town Council Boardroom in Corriverton, the Albion Community Centre and the ministry’s New Amsterdam office at Strand and Matthew Allen Road. Jobseekers were interviewed on the spot and encouraged to submit résumés and CVs for available positions.
Vacancies included probation and social service officers, data entry clerks, and cleaners, with several applicants shortlisted to fill posts within the Region Six offices.
The minister also had an engagement at the ministry’s New Amsterdam office, where further discussions with women centred on training, employment readiness, and economic participation.
Speaking with this publication, Minister Persaud described the visit as productive and necessary, noting that meaningful policy must be matched by on-the-ground engagement. According to the minister, empowering women through skills, employment, and access to opportunity remains a critical pillar of national development.