Guyana Mining School, E.R. Burrowes School of Art to launch jewellery making course

TheGuyana Mining School and Training Centre Inc. (GMSTCI), in collaboration with the E.R. Burrowes School of Art will be launching a free jewellery-making course in March to target aspiring and practicing jewellers and other interested persons.

“This was a very successful programme from last year, which was conceived by the honourable minister [of Natural Resources] Vickram Bharrat. This was his brainchild. The course came about after realising there is a capacity to build for goldsmiths in the jewellery sector because there was a gap,” Administrator of the GMSTCI, Vaughn Felix explained in an interview.

The course is designed to target those interested in learning fundamental skills such as drilling, sawing, sanding, filing, forging, tex- turing, and soldering.

It may also expand to include local semi-precious stones in jewellery designs.

The first iteration of the programme, hosted in July 2022, aimed to train local jewellers to learn and develop essential skills related to jewellery-making processes and techniques.

It saw 30 persons taking part in the pioneer programme over several weeks.

This was to prepare for the Guyana Gold Hub, hosted in Barbados.

The establishment of a Guyana gold jewellery hub in Bridgetown, Barbados is part of the St Barnabas Accord signed by President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley.

The agreement was signed as a result of the high demand for gold in Barbados, and the high-quality jewel-

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the Schepmoed Primary School in Region 6. The teacher’s quarter was also connected to the electricity supply from the solar system.

The items installed at the Schepmoed Primary School were provided by the Guyana Energy Agency

(GEA) in keeping with the Government’s sustainable energy interventions for communities and public buildings.

Schepmoed Primary School is located approximately 36 km from New Amsterdam on the east bank of the Berbice river. In exercising its mandate, the Guyana Energy Agency, provided support for the transportation and installation of the solar PV and battery energy storage systems.

This initiative will pro - vide a renewable, stable, and reliable electricity supply to school and the school’s kitchen for its daily activities, benefiting approximately eighteen (18) students and three (3) teachers. The teachers present at the time of the solar PV system’s installation expressed their gratitude for the solar powered system. GEA’s Engineer provided training to three personnel (one male and two females) at the facility on the operation and maintenance of the system.

New domestic violence legislation coming soon − Min Persaud

Thegovernment is demonstrating its zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence with its announcement that it hopes to implement sweeping changes to the existing laws to further protect and respond to the societal ill affecting families in Guyana.

As such, the government will be overhauling the ‘Domestic Violence Act’ of 1996, with some 40 proposed amendments, which the Human Services and Social Security Ministry hopes will address all forms of violence.

out this year to ensure that your roles are more defined and your roles are more expansive. Removing much of the discretion and ensuring that there is a more protective reportive response to all members of society,” the minister said.

ments include requiring the expansion of the current Domestic Violence Act, which entails the definitions of domestic violence. This will consist of a more comprehensive definition of economic, emotional and psychological violence.

lery produced in Guyana, which is of particular interest to residents and tourists in Barbados.

In 2022, a total of 30 persons participated in the training.

Several jewellers were also allowed to showcase their products at the Agro Fest, which was held from May 26-29, 2022 in Barbados.

While this year’s programme will target persons in the mining and jewellery sectors, any interested person will be able to participate.

Just recently, GMSTCI commenced its comprehensive Map Reading and Navigation Short Course to equip miners with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate difficult terrain and read maps effectively.

That programme will last for three weeks and will conclude in late March.

Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud said the changes will be made soon after the new legislation undergoes the scrutiny of the National Assembly. She made this disclosure on February 24, 2023, while speaking to police officers during the graduation ceremony for 500 ranks who were trained through the ministry’s COPSQUAD2000 initiative at the National Cultural Centre. “There will be brand new legislation coming

Although the current domestic violence legislation has a more civil component to it, as opposed to a penal one, the new legislation will contain both. “The law that we had or we have currently is a robust one but we are very conscious that with the moment and the advancement of technology, violence can permeate our society in many different ways, as such through the training you have received, I have no doubts that you are much more familiar with the newer forms of violence which will be captured in the brandnew piece of legislation that is slated to come out very soon,” the minister relayed.

The proposed amend -

In addition, penalties for breach of protection orders and inclusion of batterer intervention programmes and counselling as remedies under the law will be updated.

Heavy focus is also being placed on identifying mechanisms to tackle domestic violence as one of the key elements in modernising legislation and policies, ultimately strengthening systems.

To this end, the Human Services Ministry launched the COPSQUAD2000 initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs to train police ranks to respond to and service victims in a professional manner that helps to resolve conflict utilising the arm of the law.

131 Lindeners graduate from BIT programme

Some 131 Lindeners graduated from several training programmes offered by the Ministry of Labour’s Board of Industrial Training (BIT) on February 24, 2023.

The graduates received certification in Welding and Fabrication, Heavy-Duty Equipment Operation, Electrical Installation, General Building Construction, Commercial Food Preparation, and Garment Construction.

BIT continues to create avenues for persons to be trained and certified with various technical and vocational skillsets to enter the workforce.

Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton commended the graduates for taking advantage of the opportunities and urged them to continuously upskill themselves with the complementary courses being offered. “We have to move to the next stage where you are accredited and certified. We signed a few mornings ago, a memorandum of understanding with the electrical inspectorate because our intention is to ensure that the people we have trained, they can go beyond where they are at right now. We have moved from training only 198 persons in Linden in 2021 to training 584 in 2022. So, I’m thankful that you have offered yourself,” the minister noted.

Graduates were encouraged to utilise the services of the Central Manpower and Recruitment Agency to learn about the various job opportunities.

Some $11.7 million was expended to train 198 persons through BIT in 2021. BIT plans to expend some $66 million this year to provide skill training programmes in the wider region. This forms part of the administration’s efforts to upskill Guyanese regardless of their location.