One hundred and fifty-nine women recently received certificates marking their acquisition of skills in such male-dominated areas as carpentry, masonry, electrical installation and plumbing.
Smile of achievement! best graduating student of the Carpentery Class at GITC, Debra Bernard (left) receives her trophy from Principal Mr Vyfhuis. (Lawrence Fanfair photo)
Stabroek News
July 6, 2001
The project in non-traditional skills training was sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in collaboration with the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE). It was conducted simultaneously in Jamaica, Belize and Trinidad and Tobago.
In Guyana, Andrea Hutson copped the best graduating prize in the Government Technical Institute (GTI) masonry class and was the overall best graduating student at GTI. Debra Bernard carted off the best overall graduating student prize at the Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC) and the best graduating prize for carpentry.
Deputy Director of IDCE, Lynette Anderson, in her opening remarks at the graduation ceremony on June 20 at the National Cultural Centre, noted that it was a "...celebration of womanhood and partnership...."
The project commenced in January 2000 with a number of organisations collaborating to form an advisory committee to provide relevant insights into the specific needs of the participants. Stakeholders on the committee were representatives from the Private Sector Commission, the Guyana Manufacturers Association, the Board of Industrial Training, Ministries of Labour and Education, the Amerindian People's Association, religious organisations and women's groups.
The Red Thread women's organisation provided moral support and assisted the students in developing the self-confidence required to successfully pursue their respective goals.
According to National Coordinator, Glenyss James, the project which has just completed its first cycle, had initially catered for some 85 women. But after a publicity campaign, in excess of 500 women responded and 360 of them were interviewed. Eventually, 200 were selected.
The women came from all over the country, including Mahaicony, Uitvlugt, Wales, Linden and the remote Upper Mazaruni, James stated.
The GTI and GITC operated as training centres with the former conducting tuition in electrical installation, masonry and plumbing while the latter ran instructions in carpentry and masonry.
The training programmes were originally scheduled to run for six months, but were extended to seven months because of the Christmas vacation and the post-elections environment, James said. The trainees were sent on workstudy attachments to various organisations, including Banks DIH Ltd; Courtney Benn Contracting Services Ltd; Dynamic Engineering; Georgetown Sewerage and Water Commissioners; Guydeen Construction; Guyana Stores Ltd.; Guyana Sugar Corporation; Guyana Water Authority; Habitat for Humanity; Industrial Engineering Ltd; Mangal's Construction Company; M.I.A. Engineering Services; National Bank of Industry and Commerce; University of Guyana; WALVIS and the Georgetown Public Hospital, as well as small business contractors Clayton Rodney, Sean Sommerson, and W.P. Thomas.
Some of the firms paid the women while the work done at other organisations was voluntary but overall they gained lots of practical experience.
Providing a background to the overseas aspect of the endeavour, Regional Project Director Dr Jennifer Codogan said that so far in Jamaica there have been two graduations with 16 of 20 women gaining employment from the first batch and 20 out of 39 from the second set holding jobs. In Trinidad and Tobago, 50 per cent of the 88 graduates landed jobs and in Belize, 34 women graduated, five of whom are from correctional facilities but they will be employed upon finishing their sentences.
Dr Codogan encouraged the women to become entrepreneurs, pointing out that their Jamaican colleagues had already begun to make investments.
Several cultural items were performed, prizes awarded and tokens of appreciation exchanged at the ceremony which had an emotional atmosphere as stories were told of how some of the women had to battle their male partners who considered their newly-acquired independence intimidating.
The IDB's commitment to empowering low-income and marginalised women and its resolve to work with civil society was underscored by the bank's representative in Guyana, Robert Kestell.
The function was also attended by Minister in the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security Bibi Shadick who observed that since "...the single parent is almost always a woman," the graduates should use the opportunity to become self-reliant and to enhance the nation's development by proving their self-sufficiency.
The minister urged the women to believe in their capacity to do the job with an extra touch of class, considering women "possessed a natural taste for the right patterns and arrangements," adding that the women should attempt to set up their own construction companies.
Shadick said that the women's endeavours should not be viewed as being aimed at destroying the family institution but rather as influencing the sharing of responsibility and improving income generation, in addition to having a positive impact on children.
Also attending the ceremony were Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Dr James Rose; Director of IDCE, Samuel A. Small A.A.; President of Industrial Engineering Ltd, Christina Jardim; Co-ordinator of the Guyana Women's Leadership Institute, Jayashree Persaud; and Janice Clarke, representing UNESCO/Ministry of Education.
In a press release, the national coordinator disclosed that the second cycle of the project, launched at the Linden Technical Institute, will offer training in industrial maintenance, automotive services, carpentry, masonry, electrical installation and welding.
This cycle will train 176 women who on completion of their training will be assisted in finding jobs through job placement or self-employment. Their programme will include a non-technical component that offers job skills and proficiency in negotiation, time management, problem solving and entrepreneurship/self-employment skills, the release added.