BIT continues its work in youth empowerment

Aug 25, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
With reference to Kaieteur News’ article of August 07, 2016 it was interesting to be reminded that the Board of Industrial Training was established by law as far back as 1910. The current Act is Chapter 39:04 of the Laws of Guyana – Industrial Training – An Act to provide for the promotion of Industrial Training 6 of 1910, (upgraded in 1929, 1953, and 1956).
The article related to pronouncements made at the 54th graduation of apprentices from Guysuco’s Apprentice Training Centre at Port Mourant. The Apprenticeship Scheme founded at Port Mourant was initiated by Bookers Sugar Estates (BSE) in 1957, initially as a five (5) year programme, with certification related to the City and Guilds of the United Kingdom.
Contemporaneously with BSE was the comparable programme conducted by the then Demerara Bauxite Company (Demba), which later was nationalised into the more familiar Guymine (now overtaken by BOSAI).While experience dictated the reduction of the programme at Port Mourant to 4 years (2 years at school; 2 years on estate) there was in fact a refinement to the certification curve applied in 1962 – the year of the first graduation.
This refinement process was described as the Regrading and Reclassification Scheme. It was conceptualised and carefully crafted to address a very perceivable fault line. Which was that these highly qualified graduates (many of whom had entered the Apprentice Scheme with full CXC certification) would have to be supervised directly by foremen and supervisors in factory and field, who themselves had not experienced formal training (whether as mechanics, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, auto electricians, etc.) The latter nevertheless were considered competent tradesmen and operators.
The Regrading and Reclassification Scheme was therefore devised to give some formal sapiential status to these supervisors in the eyes of the first threat of graduate apprentices. So that while the Scheme included a programme of training at the end of which the adults were orally tested; the same Scheme required the graduates to undertake written tests.
The outcome was that adult and student could now be graded and classified, with the latter beginning at the Class II level upward to Class I. On the other hand the adult had first to pass the Class III test, and was allowed later to aspire to the higher Classes, based on the results of further rigidly applied tests. It was a bold and imaginative initiative that proved highly successful, with the spin-off effect of reducing tensions between supervisor and supervised.
Needless to say, the programme, supplemented as it was by consistently applied performance appraisals, saw outstanding performers of either category rising to management levels in both factory and field workshop. The Honours Roll at the Port Mourant Training Centre displays the higher achievers, some of whom rose to the level of Factory Manager.
It is good to report that, at this very juncture, the Regrading and Reclassification Scheme has been sustained all these years, even as attention is urgently being paid to restoring the efficacy of its implementation. On reflection however, one hopes it is not too impudent to enquire whether perchance this sugar industry’s initiative is exceptional amongst colleague employer training organisations!
E B John

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