Youth Ministry sees 1,797 persons trained in robotics, coding

– cites significant progress in several other youth programmes in 2024

Some 1,797 persons have been trained in robotics and coding from the Government’s Scratch Programme, marking a remarkable milestone for the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport for 2024.
This information was revealed by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson, during his Ministry’s end-of-year press conference on Saturday.
According to Ramson, some 50 persons have also been recorded to be trained in the advanced level of the programme.
“For robotics and coding, there were 1,797 young people trained in robotics and coding through the Scratch programme. And for the advanced programme, there were 50 young people who were trained in Advanced robotics,” he announced.
He also revealed that in terms of the advanced programme, only persons with tertiary level education would have qualified for the training.
“And to do that, you have to have a tertiary-level qualification. We had 70 trained as trainers and 21 hubs established in 2024,” he explained.

Training in robotics and coding align with the Government’s transformative plans to make Guyana a centre for Information and Communications Technology (ICT), which will ultimately transform the nation into a hub for data services, data centres, and data banks.
Coding training provides young Guyanese with an avenue to express their creativity combined with critical thinking; boost presentation and problem-solving skills.
Ramson also discussed other areas of youth development within Guyana, including significant progress in literacy and numeracy programmes, which have impacted many individuals.
“Since 2021, our literacy and numeracy programme has trained 1,260 young people. And then for our (Youth Empowerment Services) YES programme, 350 young people were trained or certified in five skilled areas.”
Keeping in line with other initiatives, Ramson revealed that the President’s Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG) programme has also yielded significant results.
“The PYARG programme, which is the President’s Youth Award programme, …Last year, 5,028 young people participated in our PYARG programme. During that programme, they go on expeditions, receive life training skills, play sports, get coaching, and gain all kinds of exposure.”
This is one initiative that has been revitalised by the Ministry. This programme went dormant in 2017, but under the leadership of President Dr Irfaan Ali, it was restarted it in 2022.
Meanwhile, shedding light on other areas of work within apprenticeship programmes, he revealed that youths have contributed significantly to these programmes with remarkable hours expended.
“As part of our volunteer apprenticeship community support programme, last year we engaged 4,530 young people in community work. 4,530 young people, a lot of them were involved in activities on community grounds.”
These students are taken to do practical exercises on community grounds, whether it’s building walkways, helping to build fences, or doing repairs on stands, etc.
These works are done with the students at the community level, benefiting the community.
In fact, they are paid for these apprenticeship programmes by the Ministry.
“They are paid an additional $7,000 for each day of work. And when they start the programme, they receive a full set of safety gear.”
Meanwhile, young people have also significantly taken up the mantle in hopes of applying an array of trades to the test.
For the YES programme, 350 young people were trained and certified in five skilled areas – carpentry, masonry, plumbing, electrical installation, and welding. Upon completion, they received a CTVET Level 1 certificate.
This programme provides students with the opportunity to get meals every day and also earn from community initiatives.
“And in that programme, just so that you know, they get a meal every day. They receive a stipend to attend. They also get an opportunity to earn from the community projects…. Whether they do it by themselves or they’re working with a company, they have the full safety kit, all of their tools, and they’re earning for themselves. We’ve created a different pathway for them,” the Minister noted.
He mentioned too that the success rate of this programme is high and that the Ministry provides financial advice to participants.
“It’s a very supportive programme. And we have taken people without high school completion and put them into this programme. They have completed it, and now they are earning… I also engage them in discussions during the training. I give them financial advice as part of the sessions. So, it’s a very thoughtfully designed and highly successful programme.”