With some 650 people already registered to be trained and certified, the government is aiming to reach 3,000 who are interested in welding through a programme between School of the Nations and the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL).
“The rate of registration is so intense that we may very well get up to a thousand within a few days,” President Dr Irfaan Ali said Saturday in addressing applicants who showed up at School of the Nations in Georgetown to register.
Many of the applicants are welders by profession but they never had the opportunity to be certified.
Some of the applicants who showed up at School of the Nations in Georgetown to register on Saturday (Photo: Office of the President/May 18, 2024)
Without certification, President Ali said, opportunities are limited.
“When we said as a government, that we want every Guyanese to have an opportunity this is what we meant.
“So we are now getting the welders who are already in the field the opportunity now to upgrade your welding skills,” President Ali said.
Meanwhile, he said new entrants will have access to a simulator that will ensure that they are experienced in the welding field at the highest level.
“I want you to be committed to this process. You cannot skip days…This is a life changing opportunity,” Dr Ali urged.
President Dr Irfaan Ali interact with applicants who showed up at School of the Nations in Georgetown to register on Saturday (Photo: Office of the President/May 18, 2024)
With exception of Region One, President Ali said persons from the other nine regions in the country have expressed interest in the programme.
“That is why we are also going to regionalise the programme.
“We are also going to take the programme to the different region so that we can students in the region benefitting from this programme,” he noted.
At the conclusion, President Ali said that the aim is to ensure all participants are gainfully employed in the striving field.
“So by the time you are completed with the programme, many of you will open your open welding shop.
“By time you are completed with the programme every single person must be gainfully occupied. Must be in employment or must be in service in this field,” President Ali said.