Guyana: Mocha Women to benefit from Social Work Programme, says Labour Ministry

Guyana: The Labour Ministry and the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) of the Republic of Guyana recently shared information about several women in the Mocha Arcadia community of East Bank Demerara will soon benefit from a first-of-its-kind 60-hour, eight-module Social Work programme facilitated by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) and the Guyana Learning Institute (GLI).

The programme enables participants to gain a better understanding of human development, behavior, and community well-being, among other things. The orientation ceremony was held at the Heavenly Light Mocha Outreach on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.

It was carried out in the presence of Sheila Veerasammy, Member of Parliament and Facilitator, Richard Maughn, Chief Executive Officer of BIT, Rima Rohee-Paul, Technical Officer of BIT, Ganga Persaud, Guyana Learning Institute, Director and Facilitator, Director and Administrator Officer, Saliema Singh, Facilitator Tricia Watson and Community Representative, Rolston Elliot.

Maughn, CEO of the Board of Industrial Training, stated that this initiative is consistent with the PPP/C Administration’s commitment to transforming the lives of its citizens by ensuring equal access to available services and opportunities such as education.

With this mindset, he stated that it was critical to first allow the region’s Mocha community to benefit from this programme. Similar initiatives will be implemented across the country very soon. As such, he hopes that this will serve as motivation for them to take advantage of BIT’s programmes and services, as well as the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), to further their education. Maughn also discussed the program’s accreditation, which would allow participants to continue their studies at the University of Guyana (UG), hence the agency’s collaboration with GLI.

MP Veerasammy spoke briefly about the difficulties she faced during her educational journey and urged the residents to complete the course despite any difficulties they may face during this time. She stated that GLI’s staff will do everything possible to help them succeed in their studies.

Persaud, Director of GLI, stated that the institution is regarded as a “second chance” institution because it provides opportunities to those who want to further their education but are unable to do so due to financial constraints. As such, he applauds the participants for taking action to improve their lives through the venture.

Persaud also mentioned that similar interventions were carried out by his agency in Regions 3, 5, 6, 7, and 10. GLI, which was founded in 2015, provides a variety of adult learning courses, including Supervisory Management, Psychology, Sociology, Occupational Health and Safety, and Organizational Management.