Private Sector’s involvement in apprenticeship programmes minimal – Hamilton bemoans

Over the last three years, the Government has ramped up the level of access to Technical and Vocational courses, ensure that all Guyanese receive quality education and increase job intake in private sector entities, all with the hope of addressing the Guyana’s current labour shortage.
However, the local private sector’s involvement in efforts to build the country’s human capacity through the apprenticeship programme is minimal, with merely 221 apprentices in training.

This is according to statistics provided by the Labour Ministry, which indicated that 187 persons are engaged in the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) engineering programme and 11 are welders at Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation.
In addition, 19 individuals are being trained as plant operators, mechanics, electricians, and Millwrights with Bosai Minerals Group Guyana while six persons are being equipped with similar skills at Guyana National Industrial Company Incorporated.
A breakdown of the data indicates that of the 221 apprentices in training, 209 are males and 12 are females.
However, when it comes to private sector-led apprenticeship programmes, the number is severely lacking compared to Government-led training initiatives.
This point was raised by Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton during his address at the Consultative Association of Guyanese Industry (CAGI) luncheon on Tuesday.
In this regard, the Labour Minister called for greater collaboration between the Government and private sector to ramp up skills training initiatives, in order to address labour shortages across the country.
On this point, he emphasised that it is essential to align training with industry needs to ensure the local workforce is adequately prepared.

“The data clearly shows that private sector involvement in apprenticeship programmes is minimal, which in my view can impact our country’s ability to reduce sales mismatches in the labour market. 08:55
“We are not just addressing it immediately, we are laying the groundwork for a prosperous future. And all of us, we have to participate in this together. With the support of the private sector and the active participation of all stakeholders, we can bridge this skill gap and build a robust, skilled and resilient workforce ready to thrive Guyana’s economic growth and development,” Minister Hamilton said.
Further, while delivering his feature address, Minister Hamilton explained that the expansion and strategic implementation of projects like Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) are part of efforts to address the crisis of an under skilled population.
He explained that the need to develop the country’s human capacity is not just a challenge but an opportunity for national development.
“The long-term approach for Guyana must be where our innovation delivery must be revolutionised. We must reach the place urgently where we give prominence to technical, vocational and educational training like we give academic training. We cannot discuss skills shortage and skills division and we have an education system whereby 35 students in a class, 12 of those students don’t want to be in that class because they would rather be in a class where they can be using their hands,” he posited.
The luncheon hosted by Consultative Association of Guyanese Industry (CAGI) gathered together industry stakeholders, including employers, human resources professionals, and government representatives, to discuss the current state of Guyana’s labour market and share insights on potential solutions. (G1)