‘Too many Lindeners on the breadline’

– Reg. 10 Chairman says job creation must be a clear, well-structured programme

Region 10 Regional Chairman, Deron Adams, while applauding some 184 students on their successful completion of the Ministry of Labour’s Board of Industrial Training (BIT) Programme, expressed concerned that despite acquiring the requisite knowledge and skills, they too might find themselves jobless.

Noting that the current system of governance has failed the people of Region 10, Adams said many Lindeners have been placed on the breadline, with their jobs taken away and no alternative provided. “…I shudder to think of what we intend for these 184 newly qualified individuals in terms of gainful employment of their hard earned skills,” the Regional Chairman said as he addressed the Region’s 2022 BIT Graduating Class recently.

Adams used the platform to advocate for the Government to create a structured programme to effectively tackle the job crisis in the region and other parts of the country.
“Job creation must be a clear and well-structured programme of endeavor in our Region and not a flippant handout of temporary jobs, since these 184 individuals are about to join the hundreds fired from the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade, the National Data Management programme, the Nursing Professional and Assistants programme and many others,” he said.

The Regional Chairman added: “Our residents do not have temporary needs for sustenance, they have rights to participation in the economy of our country to provide themselves with sustainable shelter, food and other necessities.”

Stating that all is not lost, Adams reminded that Lindeners and residents of Region 10 are a resilient and resourceful people.
He said the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) will continue to be proactive, and seek synergies that would result in the employment of the people of the district.

“We look forward to partnering with the private sector on programme such as our Regional Economic Partnership Programme (REAP), to bring together persons with skills such as yours and those in the diaspora who require these skills to collaborate on projects to your benefit,” he explained.
He said the 2022 BIT Graduating Class, like other students and residents, have persevered despite challenging circumstances.
“It is always a source of pride for me to see students from Linden putting in the extra effort to make use of the amenities available at the top secondary schools in Georgetown that are not available to them here in Linden. Even more inspirational are the stories of residents from all across this Region and in Linden, who travel down the Linden-Soesdyke Highway daily to secure higher education at the University of Guyana. There is no need to wonder what these individuals have in common with our graduates here today; they are all putting in the work, making the extra effort, to ensure that they are qualified to take advantage of any opportunity for gainful employment that might come their way,” he said.
Moving forward, he urged the graduates to embrace entrepreneurship and pool their skills and resources together to address the emerging needs of the nation in a structured way.