Following the official launch of the Government’s part-time job initiative by Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo last month, residents from several communities in the Matarkai sub-district of Region One (Barima-Waini) are being prepared to commence work in July.
Residents who have signed up for the programme, were engaged by Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal on Friday at the Port Kaituma Community Centre. He was joined by the Regional Vice-Chairperson, Annansha Peters; Deputy Regional Executive Officer, Shem Cuffy; Chairman of the Matarkai NDC, Orlando Thorne; and Prime Ministerial representative, Margaret Lambert.
The first phase of the programme in Matarkai will benefit approximately 200 individuals who will be assigned to various state institutions. Each worker will receive a payment of $40,000 for 10 days of work.
During his address to beneficiaries, Minister Croal, who also holds parliamentary responsibility for the region, emphasized the importance of personal growth and development. He encouraged them to explore additional economic ventures and educational programmes, such as the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholarships.
“This is to help service your community and to provide you an opportunity to enhance and grow for yourself and your family,” Minister Croal said.
Meanwhile, the Region One Vice-Chair urged the workers to demonstrate dedication and diligence in their work. She further stated that the initiative primarily aims to enhance the lives of youth and vulnerable populations, fostering inclusive growth and development.
The beneficiaries are set to commence their part-time employment within the first week of July 2023.
Residents in Mabaruma, Region One were designated to their places of employment just last week and the initiative was also successfully implemented in several other regions. This strategic move is part of the government’s commitment to fulfilling its promise of providing 50,000 job opportunities for Guyanese.
Only Thursday, VP Jagdeo disclosed that the government will be expanding the part-time job initiative throughout Guyana.
During a press conference, the Vice President dismissed claims made by the Opposition that the Government will be firing part-time workers after the recently concluded Local Government Elections.
In fact, Jagdeo assured persons in all 10 regions that the programme will be expanded especially in the rural and hinterland areas, where people want to be employed temporarily until they can find permanent jobs.
“This programme will be expanded to accommodate a [larger] number of people… The focus here is to ensure that more women get employment with the aim of bringing more females into the workforce in the long run. We’re hoping that a lot of the people who are working in this part-time programme will also be studying and they will apply for the [GOAL] scholarships,” he stated.
Moreover, the Vice President pointed out that several community groups across the country have been asked to gather persons who are interested in undergoing technical and vocational training, especially in areas such as welding, carpentry, electrician and plumbing. He noted that once these persons are identified the Ministry of Labour will facilitate the training sessions.
“From every region, we’ve gone into these community groups have approached us. It’s up to them now to start doing the work [and] gathering up the people… We need a critical mass to start the training programme in one of these areas,” the VP stated.
