Dear Editor,
The Government of Guyana needs to increase the budgetary allocation for technical education by 300%, especially for direct skills training if it is serious about creating jobs for our people. Guyana does not have a job shortage, what we have is a shortage of the type of skills that are needed to take up the available jobs or to create a job for oneself. We also need to put systems in place to change some mindsets, where some of our people sit back waiting for a particular job, putting a burden on their families who had already spent money and time on their education. Guyana’s education system also need to develop a culture of get-up and get, the type of human being who rises as the birds rise and look for their needs, bringing the type of understanding to our people that you need to earn to take care of yourself. Take the job you may not like until better can come. Editor, creating a job for oneself by learning a skill is one of man’s best opportunities; sitting back on others to take care of someone should not be the goal.
Editor, about 35% of our children come out of school with a good grade in academia, take up jobs in the offices and other administrative departments, government or private sector, another 20% may not be so highly academically qualified but may be disciplined enough to learn on worksites, the other 45%… lots of work needs to be done to get them doing something to earn, and the fastest way this can be done, is through massive practical skills training and moral education. There is a great shortage of skilled workers in all fields. We have to spend far more money on practical training to propel the development of our valued added industries. The value-added industries/cottage industry, cannot be developed with 500,000 million for direct training a year. Much more money is needed in this area. While the budget for technical education sounds great at 2.3 billion, only about 21.8% may go toward direct training, and with 7,890 persons to be trained, when you divide this by 500,000 million dollars you get 63,371 per person. That amount cannot cover the cost for proper training programs.
The failure of most governments so far in creating jobs is the failure to properly invest in technical education. We must realize that for the majority of things we use daily, some level of skill needs to be acquired, to make or repair them. While I am fully aware that skills training is expensive, it is a good investment because the people who will be trained will employ persons to work, and they will pass on some or all of the knowledge they have gained from the government training programmes. With skills available in our country, factories can be established because a skilled workforce is available. At present, the majority of businesses do not have the money to carry out training and our school systems do not produce many trained students with technical education qualifications. Our people need to learn to earn by learning a skill. Great opportunities are ahead for skilled workers, do not slumber when it comes to learning a skill. As for all that has been said, I am calling on the Government of Guyana to invest more in technical education.
Sincerely,
Michael Carrington
Peoples’ Development Agency
