Guyana’s growing maritime and oil and gas industries will require a new generation of skilled workers, and the Matpal Marine Institute has positioned itself to meet that demand by training more than 200 seafarers every year.
Speaking at the Matpal Marine Institute Career Exhibition on June 19 at the National Cultural Centre tarmac, Secretary and Director Coleen Abrams said the institution has spent nearly three decades building the workforce needed to support the country’s maritime sector.
“We stood tall as the undisputed pioneer of maritime education, training, and certification right here in Guyana. Sustaining this level of excellence for nearly three decades takes unwavering grit, dedication, and vision. We are not just adapting to the rapid growth of Guyana’s booming oil and gas and maritime sectors; we are actively fueling it,” Abrams said.
Abrams said the institute is actively preparing Guyanese maritime professionals to take full advantage of local content opportunities emerging from the oil and gas sector.
“We are the trusted go-to institution dedicated to qualifying the very backbone of the maritime fleet. We train the ordinary seafarers, the able-bodied seafarers, the wipers, the oilers, the bosuns, the cooks and of course our esteemed mates and engineers through our signature maritime cadet program,” she added.
Founded on October 5, 1999, Matpal has become one of Guyana’s leading maritime training institutions, providing certification and education for a wide range of maritime professions.
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According to Abrams, more than 90 deck and engine room cadets have qualified as certified officers of the watch since 2016.
“The future does not belong to bystanders. It belongs to the adaptable, the tech-savvy, the resilient, and those who possess an insatiable hunger to learn,” she declared.
