Some 1,080 persons are set to benefit from capacity building training in a variety of areas when the Skills to Access the Green Eco-nomy (SAGE) programme is implemented in Guyana.
A Ministry of Social Protection (MoSP) release stated that the group, which is equally divided between males and females, is comprised of adolescent girls, women, youths and the vulnerable populations, including indigenous communities. They will be direct beneficiaries of training in the areas of water and coastal management, eco-tourism, agriculture and construction.
The SAGE programme, which is funded by the Government of Canada, was developed in 2019 and concludes in 2024. Its objective is to create a high quality labour force, through the support of a demand-driven technical and vocational education and training (TVET), with the need to develop key careers for the introduction of climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives across Guyana, Belize, Dominica, Grena-da, Jamaica and St. Lucia. The programme aims to see its target audience become more competitive and adapt to climate change.
According to the MoSP, the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), the Council for Technical Vocational, Education and Training (CTVET) and representatives of the Government of Canada recently met to discuss the prospects of implementing the programme. They identified areas that can affect the smooth execution of the programme and discussions were also centred on BIT’s Apprenticeship Programme.
BIT welcomes the SAGE initiative, since it fully coincides with the agency’s plans to implement training programmes to develop skills for the engagement of green jobs, particularly in the agricultural sector with focus on Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) initiative.
The SAGE team was pleased to know that BIT has been providing Apprenticeship Training since 1910 in accordance with the Industrial Act, Chapter 39:04, adding to the labour force, a total of 1,469 artisans within the last nine years. According to its representatives, an existing Apprenticeship Programme would provide a smooth implementation of SAGE.
BIT has urged all stakeholders to show their full and continuous support for this programme.
