India, China helping with E-Governance Unit training

The E-Governance Unit within the Ministry of Public Telecommunications has received specialised training in several areas of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) from the Governments of India and China.

According to a press release from the Ministry of the Presidency, this will advance the Unit’s ability to provide ICT services to the country. .

On April 29, Kyle Craig, an Assistant ICT Engineer in the Infrastructure Department of the Unit, returned from India after spending two months at the Centre for Excellence in Telecommunications and Technology Management (CETTM), the release stated. This training was made possible under the Indian Technical and Economic Co-operation Programme (ITEC).

According to the release, three other staff members from the unit are still in India participating in other relevant training while a team of six is currently in preparation mode to travel to China for training in similar areas. The training sessions usually last between two to three months. Craig was trained in Optical Fibre Cable Systems and Modern Transport Telecom Technologies.

Floyd Levi, Presidential Advisor on E-Governance and Head of the Unit, in an invited comment, said that the training fits directly into the agenda of the organisation to recruit, train and retain ICT professionals.

“These persons will be coming back as what we call ‘subject matter experts’ and they will now be required to ensure this knowledge is disseminated to the other staff in their department who did not get the opportunity to go to India,” Levi noted.

Meanwhile, continuous on-the-job training especially in the areas of cyber security and project management has been on-going.

The other staffers benefiting from the training courses in India are Hillhier Emptage – Certificate Programme in Operations Management, Devon Abrams – Specialised Training Programme in Network Integration and Support and Asena Marques – Certificate Course in Network Study.

Additionally, the team that is preparing to depart for China later this month will undergo two months of training. Quincy Allen – seminar on the Construction of Broadband Access Networks for Developing  Countries;  Kevon Smith – seminar on Telecommunication Network Planning and Optimisation for Developing Countries; Sachin Persaud – seminar on Smart Grid and Telecommunication Network Administrator for Developing Countries; Lloyd Marks – seminar on Development of Information and Telecommunication Technology for Developing Countries and Clarence Garraway – the Training Course on Information Technology Application for Developing Countries.