Komal Samaroo calls for more training and support for Caribbean youth

Komal Samaroo, Executive Chairman of Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) and the new World Trade Center Georgetown (WTCG), emphasized the need for coordinated programmes to train Caribbean youth in technical skills such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical, and automotive trades. He also called for proper financing to help these youth become small business entrepreneurs.

Samaroo spoke at various events in Washington, D.C. during Caribbean Legislative Week, a release from the Institute of Caribbean Studies noted.

He highlighted the increasing demand for skilled labor in the Caribbean, especially in sectors like oil and gas.

“As our economies in the region expand to include sectors such as oil and gas and as we use the resources garnered therefrom to further develop our agribusiness, tourism and other sectors the demand for skilled technicians will grow and we have got to prepare from now to ensure that these skills are provided by the people of the region. We see this demand already outstripping supply in Guyana where transformational development is taking place and the demand for skilled labor is hardly being met,” Samaroo stated.

He noted the success of the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) in Guyana, which has helped many small entrepreneurs through loans and support.

“With counselling and effective monitoring, a majority of these loan recipients has been successful, and this approach needs to be intensified and expanded so that the youth of the region can take advantage of current and emerging opportunities,” Samaroo said as he urged US and CARICOM governments and private sectors to adopt similar initiatives to boost youth employment and productivity.

During his visit, Samaroo met with US officials, including Congressman Jonathan Jackson and Katharine Beamer from the State Department, to discuss these issues. He also agreed to future collaborations with the World Trade Center Washington, DC, to advance trade and development between Guyana, the US, and the CARICOM region.