First Lady, Mrs Sandra Granger, on Friday attended the closing ceremony of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Training programme in Leonora, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara Region (Region Three), where she emphasised the importance of robotics and computer science to the 36 graduates.
The programme, which is executed through a collaborative effort between the Office of the First Lady, the Ministry of Social Protection and the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), seeks to provide youths with skills in the areas of information technology, literacy and numeracy, entrepreneurship, sexual reproductive health, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, and other skills.
“Robotics and computer science are the future of education and any job you go into now, you will need to know it. Take in your ICT, take in your knowledge of robotics because, as I’ve mentioned before 60% of the jobs will be done by robots. So if you are the persons writing the programmes for robotics or making the robots, you know you have employment,” the First Lady said.
Mrs Granger also used the opportunity to express her desire to expand the reach of these ICT workshops to rural parts of Guyana.
Moreover, according to the Ministry of the Presidency, the First lady will be opening a similar workshop at the St. Ignatius Secondary School on next Monday while a Robotics camp will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday at the West Demerara Secondary School.
Regional Executive Officer, Denis Jaikaran, in his remarks, commended the First Lady for developing a programme of this nature, which contributes to youth development as he noted that the programme is ‘rounded’.
“We have completed this course of study. We have been engaged in a number of activities and this course of study provided an opportunity for us to explore a number of areas, some of which you were able to do for the first time. And therefore, having said that, that can only have been possible through the intervention of our First Lady, Her Excellency, Sandra Granger… Education is dynamic and once we would provide that education to our young people, we are helping to mould this nation,” he shared.
Also speaking at the ceremony was the Board of Industrial Training’s Vice Chairman, Mr. Donald Ainsworth, who congratulated the graduates and highlighted benefits of working and studying in the ICT field.
“ICT opens all kinds of opportunities and what you have here [makes] the world become your playground. You have to be prepared to work hard and explore what is there. We are members of an ulterior society and the more knowledge and information you have, the greater are your opportunities for success. And the wonderful thing is we’re on the cusp of joining the modern, global economy with all this oil and gas and the concomitant service industries that will come on board. There all kinds of possibilities out there for you and you need to take advantage of it,” he urged.
The 36 graduates all received certificates that have been accredited by the Board of Industrial Training and accepted locally and regionally. Additionally, the graduates also received backpacks with stationery and other essential school supplies.
