President: Guyana’s human resources being developed to meet structural changes in economy

As rapid structural change will occur in the local economy, President Dr. Irfaan Ali said that all Guyanese of employable age should be adequately equipped to obtain gainful employment.

According to him, in the country’s new oil and non-oil economy, new skills will be required and vast improvements in productivity needed. As such, a number of development programmes are being pursued.

These include the 20,000 online scholarship programme, which has commenced with the first batch of 6000 Guyanese to be awarded before the end of this month; the establishment of

Establishing centres of excellence at the University of Guyana in particular fields of study in which Guyana has a natural competitive advantage, such as tropical agriculture, climate change, and environmental studies; and facilitating the rapid training of at least 3000 Guyanese to work in the rapidly expanding tourism sector.

Meanwhile, he revealed that discussions are in the final stages for the establishment of a world class oil and gas institute to serve as a centre of excellence for training of personnel for the oil and gas sector in Guyana, regionally and worldwide.

Efforts also being made to strengthen technical and vocational education delivered through all of the technical institutes and industrial training centres. On the job training is being promoted to allow Guyanese to gain practical experience.