Over $140M invested in BIT training in Region 3; 902 women among 1696 beneficiaries

As the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning, through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), continues its drive to equip Guyanese with the skills needed to thrive in the country’s evolving job market, Region Three (Essequibo Islands–West Demerara) has recorded remarkable progress over the past five years, with 97 training projects benefitting 1696 individuals – including 902 women and 794 men.
According to Subject Minister Keoma Griffith, the Government has expended the $141.6 million during the five-year period in a bid to “enrich families, create stronger households, and stronger communities”.
The Minister made this revelation on Wednesday during a BIT graduation ceremony at the Leonora Technical & Vocational Training Centre, which celebrated the achievements of 55 trainees who completed programmes in information technology, 20 in data operations, and 15 in general office administration.
“We are ensuring that there is sustainable development and growth throughout Guyana and just for this reason over the last five years the board’s work has been diversified across every part of Guyana all ten administrative regions and we have seen growth and skills development across this country and for region number three alone in the last five years there has been 97 projects implemented and we have seen the beneficiaries in the total of 1696 individuals with a gender distribution of 794 males and 902 females a total investment of 141.6 million dollars made by the Government of Guyana I think region three is enriched by this intervention and it deserves a round of applause because these are not just statistics numbers or money’s being poured this what we are seeing here is enriched families stronger families stronger households and therefore stronger communities,” the Minister disclosed.
Earlier this year, BIT collaborated with the Leonora Technical & Vocational Training Centre and the Sabeelur Islamic Training Centre, in Region Three, to provide individuals with competency-based training designed to help them gain entry-level skills, expand their opportunities, and improve their livelihoods. This was the second batch of trainees to complete the programme. The ceremony concluded with the presentation of certificates to the successful graduates.

Empowerment and transformation
In his address to the graduates, Minister Griffith commended the cohort for their perseverance and commitment, describing the day as a celebration of empowerment and transformation.
He also praised the efforts of the Government of Guyana, led by President Dr Irfaan Ali, for its continued investment in education and skills training across the country, noting that the Administration’s mission is to ensure sustainable growth and development throughout Guyana, empowering citizens to actively participate in the nation’s transformation.
“Under the visionary leadership of His Excellency President Ali, the Government of Guyana remains steadfast in its commitment to expanding access to technical and vocational skills, to creating greater opportunities for participation in every aspect of life, to ensuring full access to education and skills training, to increasing employment opportunities, and to supporting youth entrepreneurship and innovation. Let me tell you something: this is the best time to be a Guyanese; this is the best time to be young in this country. This generation will be the generation that will take this country forward,” Griffith added.
The training, he said, fosters employability, professionalism, and adaptability to evolving workplace technologies.
With this in mind, Griffith encouraged graduates to see their training as the foundation for entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency, while urging them to also remain committed to continuous learning and to help others gain similar empowerment.
“Through the Board of Industrial Training you are seeing direct deposits and investments being made in both white-collar and blue-collar jobs; we want persons not only to excel and become contractors all across this country, but we recognise that there is a need for professional persons who want to operate within the office and build their own consultancies and enrich office and administration, and that is why this program will be impactful for all of you because now you will possess the skill set to go anywhere you want in Guyana to improve office administration in this country, and you don’t only have to go and work in an office; trust me, you can go and set up your own consultancy,” he said.