Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud
Through the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has opened registration for the 2023 batch of Women’s Investment and Innovation Network (WIIN) training.
This year, interested persons will be trained in new areas, such as food tourism; social media marketing; design, décor and events management; entrepreneurship; project management, and leadership advocacy.
Persons would also be trained in recurring courses, such as child care; care for the elderly; graphics design; home management; television and video production, and garment construction.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, has said, “WIIN continues to transform the lives of thousands of women across all the regions of Guyana through its flexible, inclusive, and impactful hybrid training format. This free training initiative continues to yield entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses, and empower women who are knowledgeable in various technical vocational areas. This is a dynamic programme that adapts to fit our country’s needs, and is continually reviewed to ensure that there is a high probability for employment.”
She added that the WIIN training programme is one component of a holistic vision that seeks to equip women with all the tools and knowledge to become financially independent, and with the confidence to seek opportunities for self-development and upward mobility. The intention is to encourage more women to enter the labour market, and to further reduce the existing gender divide. Guyana has made significant strides and programmes in this regard, and WIIN is a tangible investment in this regard.
“I encourage women to sign on this year and commit to finishing their chosen area, and to utilise the complementary programmes: WIIN in Business clinics, the WIIN App, the WIIN business incubator, and funding opportunities when they arise. These are also free and open to all. We are here to serve, and I wish all the new applicants every success as we introduce new courses now and all year round, and widen the scope of opportunities. We are looking forward to doubling the number of women trained and supported this year,” the Minister has explained.
Coordinator of the programme, Sanjay Pooran, noted, “The WIIN programme has been nothing short of a phenomenal success. It has improved the lives of 6,000 women in all 10 Regions of Guyana in just two years. WIIN provides a combination of technical and vocational training, opportunities for entrepreneurial development, and access to financing opportunities. This programme emanates from a sincere desire on the part of the Honourable Minister Dr. Vindhya Persaud and the Government of Guyana’s vision to see women empowered and excelling in all facets of national life.”
Persons desirous of signing up for any of the listed courses can do so by filling out a digital application using the link http://www.facebook.com/humanservicesgy.
No academic qualification is needed, but persons must provide a valid telephone number and a form of identification (passport or National Identification Card). For those doing classes online, a computer is required with a camera and a stable internet connection.
Registration closes on February 28, 2023. For more information, persons are invited to call 229-2751 or 229-2842.
From inception of this programme in 2021, the number of courses offered has increased every year. In the initial year, 2170 persons were trained, with Regions Four (588), Two (409), Five (345), Three (320) and Six (307) seeing the highest turnouts. In 2022, the programme saw a 62 per cent increase in participants, with over 10,000 persons applying. Region Four had the highest number of persons trained at 937, while Regions Three and Five each had over 500 persons trained. In the hinterland, over 350 persons were trained.
Region Nine saw an increase by 532 per cent, while Region Seven (396%) and Region Ten (335%) also had hefty increases in percentages of persons trained from 2021 and 2022.
Last year, 758 persons were trained in child care, while 563 persons were trained in graphic design, and 523 in care for the elderly.
