Guyana has opened a new Occupational Safety and Health Centre of Excellence in Region Six, aimed at giving workers practical safety training as the country’s industrial and technical sectors continue to expand.
The 2,592-square-foot facility, located at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute, was commissioned on Friday by the Greater Guyana Initiative in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning, the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, and LearnCorp International.
Occupational Safety and Health Centre of Excellence
The Centre will support delivery of the Caribbean Vocational Qualification Level 3 Diploma in Occupational Safety and Health, combining classroom teaching with practical exposure to equipment and workplace safety procedures.
Students will receive hands-on training in areas such as personal protective equipment, gas detection, industrial hygiene, first aid, chemical safety, fall protection, lifting and rigging, confined-space procedures, scaffolding, basic firefighting and emergency response.
The practical component is intended to give students a better understanding of the equipment and procedures they may encounter in industrial workplaces, while preparing them for further competency-based and site-specific training required by employers.
Thirty-two students make up the first batch. One of them, Wamanda McKenzie-Joseph, said she was pleased to be among the inaugural group and expects the programme to deepen her knowledge of health and safety practices.
“I feel very privileged to be a part of this first batch,” she said. “I feel this program will provide me with further knowledge on health and safety practices.”
ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge, speaking on behalf of the Stabroek Block co-venturers, said occupational safety ultimately comes down to protecting workers.
“At its core, occupational safety and health is about protecting lives,” Routledge said.
He noted that workers across construction, manufacturing, transportation, office environments and offshore operations must have the knowledge, skills and resources needed to perform their jobs safely and return home to their families.
Education Minister Sonia Parag said the success of the facility should not be judged by the building or equipment alone, but by the quality of training and certification delivered to students.
Labour and Manpower Planning Minister Keoma Griffith said the Centre will complement the Ministry’s “Putting Safety First” campaign, which has been taken to all regions of Guyana.
He said the Government intends to continue safety awareness work across high-risk sectors and stressed the need to train more workers to higher standards.
“Critically we must train more people and train them better,” Griffith said.
LearnCorp International President and CEO Phil Doody said the facility is designed to take occupational safety training beyond theory.
He said students will be able to practise, demonstrate competency and make mistakes in controlled learning environments before entering the workplace.
The Centre is being positioned as part of a wider effort to strengthen Guyana’s technical education system and prepare more Guyanese for employment in an economy where demand for skilled workers continues to grow.
The project is funded through the Greater Guyana Initiative, a US$100 million, 10-year investment backed by ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, Hess Guyana Exploration Limited and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited.
The initiative supports programmes in education, health and economic development, with a focus on building local capacity and supporting long-term growth.
