Labour Min, BIT, UG to develop internship programme

The Labour Ministry, the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), and the University of Guyana (UG) are collaborating to develop an internship programme to provide final-year students at UG with opportunities to benefit from skills training.
Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton and the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BIT, Saskia Eastman-Onwuzirike, met recently with UG Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Engagement, Dr. Emanuel Cummings; Academic Affairs Officer Audwin Rutherford, and Research and Development Officer Suzette James to discuss how to advance this initiative. Aiming to provide students with the necessary tools to integrate seamlessly into the country’s labour market, their discussion focused on crafting a comprehensive programme guided by the recently re-evaluated apprenticeship programme undertaken by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Upon finalisation of the programme, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be proposed and signed by the parties involved.
Also present at the meeting were BIT Senior Technical Officer Bevon Shepherd and Human Resources Officer Melinda Kelly.

Since taking office in August 2020, Minister Hamilton has announced his desire to work with UG to implement an internship/ apprenticeship programme to ensure students gain on-the-job experience while completing their academic courses. As such, UG and BIT, alongside the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA), began preliminary discussions to make this a reality.
In 2022, eight final-year students of the UG Environmental Health programme underwent an eight-week training stint conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department of the Ministry of Labour.
This training involved exposure to workplace safety and health inspections in Georgetown and in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), and Five (Mahaica-Berbice). They were also exposed to accidents and complaints’ investigations, workplace registration, and the system of recording and notification of occupational accidents and occupational diseases (RNOAD).
The Labour Ministry announced last Monday that this apprenticeship programme run by OSH Consultant Gwyneth King would be continued, ensuring that final-year students have a greater chance of being employed within the industrial sector.
“The Ministry is willing to accommodate any student interested in the OSH field, this is consistent with the Ministry’s efforts to create and maintain a safe and healthy workplace, which also extends domestic safety,” the Labour Ministry said in a press release last Monday.