Guyana targets stronger youth participation in expanding natural resources sector

Kaieteur News – As Guyana’s natural resources sector continues to expand, the government is placing greater emphasis on preparing young Guyanese with the technical and scientific skills needed to occupy emerging employment and leadership opportunities across the industry.

Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat said developing a new generation of skilled Guyanese is critical to ensuring that nationals are positioned to manage and participate meaningfully in the country’s expanding oil and gas, mining and forestry sectors. During an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) last Wednesday, Minister Bharrat said he intends to place greater focus on encouraging secondary school students to consider careers in science, technology and technical disciplines.

He noted that many students traditionally gravitate towards business, accounting and the arts, while technical and science streams are sometimes viewed as more difficult. “If we don’t address this problem now, we won’t have much young people who are qualified to work in the natural resources sector moving forward,” Minister Bharrat said.