Min Hamilton addresses challenging transition to digital era at ILO Meeting

Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton recently participated in Day Two of the 46th Technical Committee Meeting (TCM) of ILO/Cinterfor, where he discussed vocational training and the challenges of the transition of digital economies and societies.
Minister Hamilton highlighted the topic as a crucial component of the education system that faces challenges and needs to be resolved to ensure the next generation of Guyanese has the requisite skills to survive in the digital age.
Themed “Vocational Training as the Core of Economic and Social Development,” this TCM was held from Wednesday to Friday in the Dominican Republic, in coordination with the National Institute of Technical and Vocational Training (INFOTEP).
A technical service of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), ILO/Inter-American Centre for Knowledge Development in Vocational Training (Cintefor) responds to the needs of individuals, companies and countries by providing professional training and human resource development.

In addition to Minister Hamilton’s areas of focus, other key areas discussed during the event were skills forecasting for a green transition, digitalisation of training, apprenticeships for youth, social dialogue in training, inclusive training pathways for vulnerable populations, and lifelong learning.
Hamilton was joined by a number of other Labour Ministries from other countries in the Region, as well as specialists, professionals, representatives of institutions specialising in training and development of human talent, ILO/Cinterfor members and representatives of employers and workers.
Their collective presence signalled the importance of strengthening technical and vocational education and training (TVET) on a global scale as a means towards sustainable development of the Region at large.
The three-day event included keynote lectures and discussions that deepened the experiences and lessons learned by the various countries and institutions on these critical issues.
During the meeting’s launch in July, Dominican Republic’s Labour Minister Luis Miguel de Camps noted the impact of the 46th TCM for the Dominican Republic and the Region at large as skills training is increasingly important for workers to meet regional and global demands, and contribute to economic growth and human development.
“It is important to make it known that the challenges of the gap in the skills demanded by the labour market and the skills produced by the training systems are not exclusive to the Dominican Republic, because national markets are global,” de Camps said, according to a Cintefor statement.