Residents of Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), are being urged to pursue careers in oil and gas and other technical fields as training enrollment declines, even as opportunities in the sector continue to expand.
Professor Clement Sankat, Director of the Guyana Technical Training College Inc. (GTTCI), made the call on April 10 during the graduation ceremony for the third cohort of trainee technicians.
“What is bothering me is that numbers are declining, and I want to therefore raise this matter to my Berbicians community, especially the parents and guardians… We must embrace technical education as a pathway to successful careers in the years ahead as Guyana continues to march forward,” the GTTCI Director said.
“We have built the labs, we’re working to equip them… We need all of it to come together to shape where we are going for Guyana’s localization and advancement,” he added.
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The Trainee Technician program was developed through a partnership between ExxonMobil Guyana, SBM Offshore Guyana, the Guyana government, and Learn Corp. International. Upon completion of the training, graduates earn Advanced Diplomas in electrical, mechanical, instrumentation, and production disciplines relevant to Guyana’s growing energy sector.
Professor Sankat stressed that more Guyanese must take advantage of available training. “We must expand access so that more Guyanese can benefit from this training facility,” he stated, while outlining plans to introduce new programs, including building and construction, to utilize existing labs and infrastructure.
“The world now needs technology much more than only healthcare, education, banking, and finance. All important, but we are focused on technical skills that will guarantee you a job. You see these guys and ladies? They’re going straight to a job in oil and gas,” he told the gathering.
The GTTCI Director also emphasized the importance of developing local teaching capacity.
“We must develop local instructional capacity by preparing Guyanese instructors who can continue this mission under the stewardship and the mentorship of our excellent instructors who are gathered here. We have excellent international instructors, and they are more than prepared to transfer their knowledge and skills to our own young Guyanese instructors,” he said.
He added that these skills extend beyond offshore work. “Those skills and competencies can be used across this landscape in Guyana that is growing and evolving,” Sankat noted.
