Over 9300 women trained, dominating technical fields – Labour Minister

…PWDs also benefitting from skills-training

Guyanese women are now playing a direct role in the transformation of Guyana, with many of the them leading in technical fields that were traditionally considered male-dominated. This is according to Labour and Manpower Planning, Keoma Griffith, who appeared on the recent episode of the Starting Point podcast. Griffith disclosed that in the last five years, more than 16,000 persons were trained through the Ministry’s Board of Industrial Training (BIT) – majority of whom are females.

“In the last five years, we’ve trained 9,331 women and we’ve trained 7,021 men. And what is even more beautiful is that women have dominated all of the training programmes, especially the male-dominated ones,” the Labour Minister stated.
Among these figures are some 386 women who were trained in electrical installation and another 500 have been trained in heavy-duty equipment operation. These females also received training in photovoltaic (PV) installation and repairs, tractor operation and maintenance and welding and fabrication. “These aren’t just the regular types of skills training. We’ve moved away from cooking and garment construction. We still have those things. But what we’re seeing here is that women are taking opportunities which will directly impact the transformation of Guyana,” Griffith stated.

PWDs
Similarly, the Labour Minister pointed out that through these BIT training programmes, there has also been an uptake in the number of persons living with disabilities (PWDs) who have upskilled themselves. “When you think about the Board of Industrial Training, it wouldn’t click automatically that a person who is living with a disability can also access this facility. But that is exactly what happens in Guyana. And so, in the last five years, we have trained close to 500 persons living with disabilities,” he stated. Last year alone, some 107 PWDs benefited from BIT training in areas ranging from welding, commercial food preparation, computer skill training, cosmetology, digital marketing skills, drone technology, plumbing, soap and candle making, sustainable farming, and website development among others.
“It’s a wide cadre of training opportunities for persons living with disabilities,” the Labour Minister posited. He went onto encourage other persons interested in the training programmes to go to or contact the Labour Ministry. “We will ensure that we have a facility whereby you can bring relief and transformation to your life.”
According to Griffith, approximately 77 per cent of all the persons trained at BIT are either currently employed or have established their own businesses. “So, we are seeing not just [the issuance of] a training certificate, but we’re seeing transformation in lives,” he emphasised.

Removed all the barriers
In encouraging more persons to take advantage of these training programmes, the Labour Minister explained that Government has removed all the barriers to make accessibility easier. While there are no qualification requirements to join the BIT programmes, applicants have to be at least 16 years of age. Moreover, all the equipment and materials needed for the training are provided and participants are also given a stipend during the four-month programme. “We give them a stipend, and we ensure that they can complete the programme and see it to fruition. And at the end of it, they get a certificate, which they can use. A certificate from the Board of Industrial Training is recognised in Guyana,” he stated.
The Labour Minister went onto remind that during the Budget 2026 debates in the National Assembly last month, one of the Opposition Parliamentarians had raised questions about the BIT training and the effectiveness of the four-month programmes. “Well, I was happy I was able to respond because I invited some of the beneficiaries of the same four-month programmes to come and be a part of my presentation. And I highlighted to the House one such person, who was visually impaired but today has an established business because of the training received through the Board of Industrial Training,” the Minister stated. The BIT, which has been in existence for more than 100 years, offers training in every region across Guyana. In fact, over the last five years, some $2.6 billion was expended at BIT to train over 14,000 persons, of which some 2,218 graduated in 2025.
A further $723.1 million has been allocated in Budget 2026 to train another 2,000 more persons in areas such as electrical installation, welding and fabrication, plumbing and furniture making.