Michael Munroe, Director of the Local Content Secretariat, said the body is developing a framework aimed at closing skills gaps and expanding workforce development opportunities for Guyanese businesses in the oil and gas sector.
In his address at the Local Content Summit on June 2, Munroe outlined efforts to better align industry needs with national training capacity and strengthen certification standards across Guyana’s education system.
“We’re in the process of developing what we’re terming a local capacity development framework, and the concept behind that is to ensure that we can leverage and map the existing skills and training that’s coming out of institutions,” the Director said.
Munroe said the agency has already engaged public and private training institutions and plans to gather consolidated data on available training programmes and the accreditation standards they meet.
According to Munroe, the initiative also involves collaboration with international training partners to strengthen technical education delivery. He said this approach is intended to ensure Guyanese workers are prepared for current and future industry needs.
“We’re looking at all of this information to bring it in a more centralized way to have an understanding of what exists locally, where the gaps are, and how our local institutions can potentially upskill and upgrade their standards, as well as partner potentially with international training institutions to bring it full circle to ensure that we’re targeting the needs of the industry,” he said.
Munroe said the process is focused on identifying what is required to ensure local training institutions provide certifications and skills that can be readily integrated into the workforce, while also engaging companies to better signal industry needs and training priorities.
The Local Content Summit, held under the theme “From Policy to Prosperity: Unlocking Opportunities Through Collaboration,” brings together government officials, industry leaders, and private sector stakeholders to review progress and expand participation in Guyana’s petroleum sector.
The event provides a platform to discuss Guyana’s petroleum outlook, the evolution of the local content framework, financing for local participation, workforce development, and opportunities beyond the oil and gas sector.
