By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News |
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — More than 1,500 secondary school students across Guyana are set to benefit from expanded technical exposure as the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) prepares to recommence its nationwide energy education and training initiative.
The announcement was made by GOGEC President Manniram Prashad during an energy update forum and business luncheon hosted at Palm Court on Main Street, Georgetown, attended by senior government officials, diplomatic representatives, and private sector executives.
Building Indigenous Human Capacity in Secondary Schools
The school outreach initiative is structured to equip senior secondary students with fundamental knowledge of the petroleum value chain, emerging clean energy technologies, offshore logistics, and future career pathways:
- Scope and Reach: The program will cover more than 60 secondary schools across coastal and interior administrative regions, surpassing the benchmark of 1,500 students trained in previous phases.
- Participating Institutions: Immediate cohorts scheduled for onboarding include students from St. John’s College, Christ Church Secondary, and St. Rose’s High School, among others across Georgetown and regional education districts.
- Curriculum Focus: Practical learning modules include petroleum geology basics, subsea engineering concepts, supply chain management, environmental compliance standards, and health, safety, and environment (HSE) protocols.
“We will continue our secondary school training programme. You know we train over 1,500 students across Guyana at 60-something schools,” Prashad stated. “Our objective is to cultivate an informed generation equipped to participate directly in the nation’s energy transformation.”
Global Trade Missions: GASTECH 2026 in Bangkok
Expanding on GOGEC’s international trade agenda, Prashad revealed that the Chamber is finalizing arrangements to lead an official Guyanese private sector delegation to the annual GASTECH Exhibition and Conference, scheduled for September 14–17, 2026, in Bangkok, Thailand:
- Bilateral Commercial Alignment: GOGEC will collaborate directly with the United States Embassy’s Commercial Department in Georgetown to streamline trade participation and coordinate bilateral investor engagements during international energy summits.
- Market Exposure: The Bangkok mission will provide Guyanese service providers with direct access to international liquefied natural gas (LNG), low-carbon solutions, and offshore technology suppliers.
“GOGEC now will be the organization in the future along with the US Embassy Commercial Department to be looking at all arrangements for future GASTECHs,” Prashad highlighted.
Sector Oversight: Bharrat Emphasizes Compliance and Growth
Also addressing the luncheon, Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat provided a candid assessment of the expanding oil and gas industry, acknowledging that regulatory monitoring and institutional oversight remain works in progress:
- Room for Regulatory Improvement: Minister Bharrat noted that while Guyana has made rapid developmental strides compared to traditional oil-producing jurisdictions, the Ministry is focusing on increasing regulatory stringency and strict operator compliance.
- Sustainable Trajectory: The subject minister affirmed that the administration is implementing regulatory mechanisms to ensure environmental safety and domestic value retention.
“We are not exactly where we want to be, but we are definitely on the right track to getting there,” Minister Bharrat remarked, emphasizing that strengthening oversight institutions remains the government’s central priority.
