$50M approved for startup of Technical Training College at Port Mourant

The Parliamentary Committee of Supply on Monday approved $50 million for startup operations of the Guyana Technical Training College at Tain, Port Mourant, Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne).

This college is a government initiative intended to provide hands-on training for thousands of Guyanese youths for jobs locally and regionally.

The funding, part of the total $1.4 billion for administration under the Office of the President, was defended by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira.

The Minister was made to answer several questions from the opposition benches which revealed that a total remuneration package of $1.49M is paid to the college’s Director, Professor Clement K Sankat on a monthly basis.

“The $50 million is for startup operations for the college and setting it up… they will not be renting building,” Teixeira said.

The total investment is pegged at US$100 million, a response to the increasing demand for technical and skilled workers.

The construction of the college is a collaborative effort between the government and the three coventurers in the Stabroek Block: ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC.

The college is expected to facilitate oil and gas training funded by ExxonMobil and a Hospitality and Tourism Institute, funded by the government.

While there is a third component that will train workers for the agriculture sector, it will commence with training for persons to work directly on floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels.

A curriculum is already in place for these training to proceed forthwith.