Some 40 exhibitors displayed their goods and services while providing numerous training opportunities for young people at a TVET Fair and Exposition held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Tuesday.

The event was hosted by the Ministry of Education under the theme ‘Empowering Youths, Elevating Skills: TVET as a catalyst for inclusion.’

On display were a plethora of agricultural products made by students through agro-processing. There were also services and products offered by a wide cross-section of the business community and live demonstrations.

Among the exhibitors was Candace Wickham, founder and CEO of PRO-Care Therapy and Wellness Centre. Her business provides professional care for children and adults.

Speaking to the Department of Public Information (DPI), Wickham explained that her business is Certified in Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) and provides accredited courses for persons interested in becoming massage therapists or qualified in elderly care.

According to Wickham, massage therapy and wellness are a lucrative business and encouraged young people to consider this viable career path. She also lauded the Ministry of Education for hosting the exposition, which serves as a guide for students in making informed career choices.

“We decided to participate in this fair and exposition so that other students can actually see that there are other areas of study where they can develop themselves,” Wickham stated.

Additionally, Maurice Lewis, a student at the Carnegie School of Home Economics, is a student in the catering and hospitality department.

Lewis pointed out that the direction the country is heading, professionals within the catering and hospitality industry are needed, while urging more young people to join the School of Home Economics to advance their careers.

Meanwhile, during the feature address, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand disclosed that when the current administration took office in 2020, only nine secondary schools were offering four CVQ subjects.

“Today, because of conscious investment, planning, getting on the ground, putting the facilities in place, we have 74 secondary schools across Guyana offering 24 CVQ subjects,” Minister Manickchand said as she explained the significant investments made in TVET at the Ministerial level.

As evidence of the investments made to enhance TVET across the country, nine regions commissioned state-of-the-art TVET centres, including the  Hope Town, Beterverwagting and Fellowship Practical Instruction Centre (PIC).

These institutions offer practical training and education to both children and adults.

To further provide facilities to enhance practical education, each secondary school will have a shade house by the end of the next school term. This investment is a collaboration between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Agriculture to encourage schools to produce their own agricultural products.

The investments made to push TVET forward form part of the government’s mandate to provide skills training opportunities for young people to pursue careers within a wide array of sectors.

Source: https://dpi.gov.gy/tvet-expansion-transforms-skills-training-across-guyana/