Orientation held for Region 3 work study students

As secondary school students complete their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, many are now entering the work study phase, where they will be welcomed by public and private entities to be introduced to the world of work.
On Friday, over 100 students in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) assembled at the West Demerara Secondary School for an official orientation exercise. As customary, work study is conducted in two phases, facilitating students between June and August to give them a five-week simulation in a work setting.
Students are required to report for work in their school’s uniform and are given a stipend at the end of their stint.
A recently implemented mechanism also saw these persons receiving a certificate from the Regional Education Office, which can be used for job applications as a reference for work experience.
District Education Officer, Devendra Persaud explained that these students will be placed at various institutions within the region.
Some are assigned to agencies that are linked to their career preference, but this is not always the case since there are limited spaces to fill at each agency.
“The objective of this work study exercise is to expose students to the world of work, where they will be taking you through the process of career awareness, career exploration and other life skills and experiences,” he said to the students.
Meanwhile, Coordinator, Caroline Daniels asserted that this year marks the 44th year since Guyana commenced work study for CSEC students.
“The work study programme was established in 1975, operating on a model adapted from the Cuban enterprise…2001 formed the genesis of work study being organised to work in two phases. This has become an annual event, whereby students who have recently completed the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examination are given an opportunity to partake in work-related activities for a period of five weeks.”
Some students expressed their elatedness to commence this new venture as they await their results. This orientation exercise was also carried out in other regions across the country.
A total of 12,269 candidates were registered for the 2018 examinations as compared to 12,684 registered for 2017.
Subject entries were 69,194. An analysis of the 2018 results revealed that the overall pass rate at the General and Technical proficiencies for Grades One to Three was 69.1 per cent. The overall pass rate has improved from 2017 where a pass rate of 63.68 per cent was attained.
Improved performance was evident in 16 subjects, constant in 7 subjects and declined in 12 subjects. Outstanding performances were noted in 7 subjects where 90 per cent and over gained acceptable Grades (Grades 1-3).
Some subjects with outstanding performances were Agricultural Science (Double Award) with 96.14 per cent, Information Technology with 97.5 per cent, Religious Education with 96.69 per cent, Physical Education and Sports with 99.92 per cent and Industrial Technology – Mechanical with 98.57 per cent.