By Antonio Dey| HGP Nightly News|
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — In a major private-public alignment to bolster local content and human capital, ExxonMobil Guyana, in partnership with the Specialists in Sustained Youth Development and Research Inc. (SSYDR), officially launched the Employment Attack 102 Job Readiness Summer Camp on Friday, June 12, 2026.
The ambitious youth empowerment initiative is designed to equip 240 recent secondary and high school graduates with the baseline professional competencies needed to thrive in Guyana’s hyper-competitive, rapidly expanding job market. By delivering hands-on tools, interactive training, and professional guidance, the summer program aims to facilitate a seamless transition from the classroom into corporate employment.
Magda Fiona Griffith, Founder and Executive Director of SSYDR, emphasized that her organization remains fiercely committed to youth upskilling, a mandate that has been significantly accelerated by corporate backing from ExxonMobil Guyana. Griffith noted that since the overarching Employment Attack program was conceptualized in 2017, its primary objective has been to boost the cognitive confidence and technical capabilities of new workers to meet the sophisticated demands of modern commerce.
Ryan Hoppie, Community Relations Supervisor at ExxonMobil Guyana, reiterated that the corporate sponsorship reflects a strategic stride toward combating youth underemployment and fostering sustainable, long-term career advancement across the regions.
The launch featured several past beneficiaries who shared empirical testimonials detailing how the curriculum fundamentally restructured their career paths. Among them were police officer Shane La Rose (a 2024 program graduate), university student Ziggy Tafari James (a 2025 graduate), and Indeeka Seemangal (a 2025 graduate). The alumni highlighted core workplace dynamics mastered during the camp, including advanced self-awareness, professional courtesy, strict time management, effective leadership, and operational problem-solving within stressful corporate environments.
Kezia Moore, a local educator and entrepreneur who graduated from the initial 2019 cohort, spoke extensively on how the foundational job-readiness frameworks directly shaped her path toward successful business ownership.
Underscoring the program’s role in the state’s national youth development agenda, Sherwyn Blackman, Assistant Chief Education Officer (Secondary) at the Ministry of Education, delivered remarks in support of the government.
Blackman strongly urged the incoming participants to capitalize on the country’s free educational opportunities, describing state-backed education as the cornerstone of socioeconomic mobility. The education official posited that specialized camps like Employment Attack 102 are vital to instilling institutional discipline, accountability, and uncompromised professionalism into the emerging labor force.
The Employment Attack 102 Summer Camp is a premier collaborative framework dedicated to developing a future-ready generation capable of making meaningful contributions to Guyana’s workforce, economy, and national development.
