Over 50 Guyanese are taking advantage of the free online courses in repair and maintenance of heavy machinery that is being offered through a collaboration between the Ministry of Public Telecommunications and Machinery Corporation of Guyana Limited (MACORP).
According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), the courses will be facilitated by MACORP under its Caterpillar ‘Technicians for the Caribbean’ programme, while the Ministry will provide support to access computer systems and the internet.
The certified training programme was officially launched on Monday, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), where persons of all ages, including women, turned up in their numbers to officially register and become more au fait with the courses offered.
According to DPI, Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes, during a charge to participants, remarked that the course is in keeping with the administration’s vision of ensuring Guyanese are empowered with the skills and knowledge that will make them employable.
Minister Hughes noted that with the new and emerging oil and gas industry and growing mining industry, these skills are being offered ‘free of cost’, will be in demand; therefore, the administration is partnering with MACORP to offer same.
Additionally, she noted that with resources imminent from the oil sector, more scholarships will be offered to meet the growing needs of the labour market.
Weneta Pooran, MACORP’s Learning Centre Administrator, noted that the company is committed to the development of Guyana through training and youth empowerment as part of its social responsibility. The programme, she affirmed, will transform the education and labour sectors.
Pooran explained that all the courses are virtual, and can be accessed from the comfort of the participants’ homes, school, library, an internet hub or from anywhere there is an internet connection.
The curriculum consists of 18 courses: four Introductory courses, ten Level-1 courses and four Level-2 courses. It can be completed with three to six months. Upon completion, participants will be certified and can move on to the practical aspect of the programme at MACORP.
It was noted that the participants can use their newly acquired knowledge and certificate of completion to gain employment in the auto, trucking or heavy equipment field or get promoted if they are already employed.
This year, MACORP signed Memorandums of Understanding with the Public Telecommunications Ministry and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs to offer training to Guyanese youths. Thus far, 961 persons have registered and to date, 41 were certified and moved on to the practical aspect of the programme, DPI reported.
