Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton recently revealed the government’s aggressive plans to train 100,000 women to help meet the country’s labour demand which has increased with the onset of the oil and gas industry.
According to a recent report by the Department of Public Information (DPI), the minister said the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) has been successful in empowering women to step out of their comfort zones and become certified and employed in male-dominated areas.
Hamilton said the government’s focus is on encouraging women to become involved in ‘hard skills’, which means that there is more inclusion in programmes such as heavy-duty equipment operation, and welding and fabrication.
“We have testimonials of women who were terrified of a front-end loader or an excavator, who are now able to drive one, and can work utilising that equipment,” the minister said on Wednesday, following an inspection of various ongoing BIT training programmes in Region Six.
He emphasised the importance of enhancing their knowledge while uplifting their livelihoods to earn an income through these training programmes, especially within the context of the growing demand for labour.
“We are hoping that in the shortest possible time, we can have trained 100,000 females to bring them into the world of work because they are needed to satisfy the different sectors and to be able to contribute to the economy,” Minister Hamilton explained.
Over the last three years, BIT has successfully trained approximately 10, 000 persons in a range of areas. Of the 10, 000 persons trained to date, 46 per cent are females.
“That is a long way from where the numbers were in 2020. So we continue to encourage women to embrace these hard skills, so that they can be able to work comfortably in jobs that pay more,” the minister said.
The government has also put systems in place to establish more training facilities to expand the reach of BIT training.
New facilities are being established in New Amsterdam and Corriverton, Region Six; Bartica, Region Seven, and another in Unity, Mahaica, Region Four, among others.
