One hundred and eight single parents in Regions Five and Six have completed training in the areas of cosmetology, catering and garment construction.

According to a GINA press release, graduation ceremonies were held yesterday at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI), with 58 single parents and at the Bath/Waterloo Primary School with 50 single parents, who were able to graduate after a four-month stint.

Manzoor Nadir

Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir, who addressed the graduates, the release said, urged them to apply themselves and utilize the equipment given them. He spoke of the administration’s commitment to reducing poverty.

Principal of NATI & Board of Industrial Training (BIT) member Ronald Simon challenged the graduates to boost their skills and said the group seemed very enthusiastic and he was confident of their ability to succeed.

CEO/Secretary of the BIT Alana Brassington said the programme was a success and she knew it was challenging to work in a learning environment with adults but it was beneficial and worth it.
She said that the target was to train 250 to 300 persons, however there 370 persons were identified.

She emphasised that the training will not definitely place the persons into jobs, however it will enhance their ability to secure jobs when the opportunities arise.

Single parent training was an initiative of Minister of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand and $25 million was spent to conduct training and another $25 million set aside to help purchase items to start up their businesses.

Nadir noted that in 2006, in its manifesto, government promised a programme to assist single parents in Guyana and that was being recognized.

According to GINA, in 2008, there was a country-wide call for single parents to register at the ministry and over 18,000 persons registered for some form of help and in the 2009 budget, an allocation of $75 million was made to help the persons who registered.

Nadir said that development is about improvement in every aspect of life including housing, education, health, but most importantly about people and society. It was this realisation which prompted government to equip its citizens with skills to make quality contributions to both personal and national development.

The release said that there were 412 persons currently in training and just over 40 persons have dropped out, which is a smaller amount than was expected. By February 2010, 370 single parents are scheduled to graduate.