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Oct 09, 2014 News
– TVET Chairman
A country’s development and growth is invariably linked to its productivity and by extension its international competitiveness. However, such a feat can only be realised on the basis of a country’s capacity to build and sustain a competent work force.
This assertion was recently made by Chairman of the Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council, Mr Clinton Williams, as he addressed a forum intended to improve linkages between industry and educational institutions at the Hadfield Street, Georgetown, Regency Hotel.
According to Williams, the foundation of any competent and competitive skilled base is to a large extent dependent on the education and training system geared to respond to the ever-changing socio-economic and technological climate, which in turn influences competitive advantage and hence the survival and growth of today’s private sector.
It is for this very reason, he noted, that the private sector is commonly referred to as “the engine of growth.”
In referencing Guyana in particular, the TVET Chairman observed that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has, over the last five to six years, grown in excess of six per cent per annum.
And according to Williams, among the main sectors that have been contributing to this growth consistently has been mining, particularly gold and diamond, which are however not doing as well today.
Other areas that have helped to boost the economy have been wholesale and retail trades, building construction and information communication technology, Williams noted. “All of these sectors, however, have been averaging in excess of 20 per cent growth over the period,” informed Williams.
He however, went on to note that based on a recent Labour Market Intelligence Survey, conducted by the TVET Council and the Ministry of Labour utilising funding from the Inter-American Bank (IDB), five sectors were surveyed – Engineering and Construction, Forestry, Manufacturing, Hotel/Hospitality and Commerce.
Based on the survey it was deduced that in all of the targeted sectors there are reports of significant skills shortages, Williams disclosed.
“When examined against the undesirable and increasing phenomenon of what I call skills poaching between sectors, between gold for example and agriculture…all of the operators trained at BIT (Board of Industrial Training ) went over to gold leaving Agriculture in a mess; prices and all of that…All of these sectors there have seen elements of poaching,” said Williams.
But in addition to poaching, he noted that all of the sectors have experienced and continue to experience the effects of migration.
Skills shortage has therefore resulted in negative effects on high prices and possible consequential on the export market for products and services.
Against this backdrop, Williams said that new sectors such as oil and gas, hydropower hopefully soon; large scale mining in gold and diamond are emerging. The Aurora Mines and some others are coming on stream; manganese also to come on stream, and spin off industries from the Low Carbon Development Initiative such as Eco-tourism.
“These new developments will undoubtedly increase the current demand potential for occupational skills to all the sectors as a whole,” said Williams.
He noted, too, that in addition to migration and poaching, there have been other critical factors which have been contributing to the widening gap between occupational skills need required by the private sector businesses.
And according to Williams, there is a need for a menu of measures to be introduced that will result in increased collaboration between the Board of Industrial Training, the TVET Council and the private sector.
This move, he said, is needful to provide a platform to ensure that there is maximum compatibility, not only between the range and quantities, but also the competency levels to be attained for all skills sets required by private sector businesses.
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