Guyana Training Agency to close
Stabroek News
June 25, 2004
The Guyana Training Agency (GTA) is to shut down at the end of July after failing to generate resources to be self-sustaining since starting operations in February 2002.
Helena Laakso, Economic Adviser to the European Delegation, says the training programme itself was successful but the project was not viable because of the general macroeconomic situation in Guyana over the last few years.
The GTA offered short-term courses at 60% of their economic cost and long-term courses at 80% of their cost. There were 50 short-term courses and three long-term courses held in the last two years. Short-term courses were offered at $15,000 and long-term at $72,000. These courses were in automotive, business services, engineering, training of trainers, electrical/electronic, welding and fabrication, finances and accounting, health and safety and customer service. Other courses were offered in marketing, accounting and business services for the Linden Economic Advancement Project. It used an approach that taught a specific set of skills required to do a certain business task and emphasised hands on training and less theoretical work.
The agency was officially launched in March 2002 and was the first European Commission-funded project to be implemented and managed by the private sector with the government acting as the facilitator.
The project had been conceptualised in the mid-1990s when the economy was doing well but its implementation came when the economy's performance fell and Laakso says it became difficult for the economic fees to be paid.
The project was intended to run for three years with 1.8M Euros provided by the EC and was to become self-sustaining after that.
"When the project was conceptualised, there was a lot more need for training as the companies were doing well at the time. However, by the time the project got off the ground, the scene had changed and companies were not doing so well," says Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Peter deGroot.
He also recognised that programmes such as technical and vocational training by their nature are difficult to be made self-sustaining and are usually a function undertaken by governments.
deGroot says the PSC which oversees the project was hoping to get an extension of funds from the EC until the end of the year so that resources could have been secured from other donors to keep the programme going. However, the extension could not be made. Funds were made available under the eighth release of the European Development Fund (EDF).
The objective of the programme was to strengthen the private sector's overall capacity to produce by providing a pool of skilled workers. The private sector's active participation and ability to meet the cost was key. But Laakso notes that companies are not investing in much under the present economic conditions.
The project was promulgated as key to creating a pool of skilled human resources.
The GTA was put together under the PSC chairmanships of DDL Chairman, Yesu Persaud and George Jardim. It is currently chaired by deGroot.