After seven months of extensive training in Banking Operations and Office Procedures, 26 young professionals have graduated from Republic Bank’s Youth Link Apprenticeship Programme.
At the graduation ceremony held on Wednesday, the Youth Link Apprentices were each presented with a Caribbean Vocational Qualification Banking Operations Level 1 Certification.
The certificate was approved by the Council for Human and Social Development of CARICOM through the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET).
With this qualification, the Apprentices are now eligible for jobs within the CARICOM Region.
In his address to the 15th Batch of Youth Link Apprentices, Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning, Keoma Griffith urged the graduates to employ the knowledge and skills acquired during the programme, and seize the opportunities before them.
“Every person here now has the opportunity to benefit from something that we have employed. So, you can all now transition from this seven-month programme and many of you can go onto employ some of these same things you have learnt into a business, if you wish or you can go onto the University of Guyana and you can all enroll in a programme for free. And I am saying this because the opportunities are diverse, they are immense,” Minister Griffith said.
The Labour and Manpower Planning Minister also used the opportunity to commend Republic Bank for its unwavering commitment to youth development and national progress. He said for 15 years the bank has shown that true corporate leadership is measured not only by financial performance but investment in people, community and future generations.
He said through the programme, young Guyanese have been given mentorship, exposure, and skills development, bridging the gap between the classroom and the world of work.
“At a time when Guyana is undergoing rapid transformation initiative such as these are not merely beneficial, they are essential. They prepare our young people to participate meaningfully in a modern workforce while fostering confidence, discipline, professionalism and ambition, and therefore, to the management, staff and facilitators of this programme, I extend sincere appreciation for the role you continue to play in nurturing the next generation of Guyanese professionals and leaders,” Minister Griffith said.
Managing Director of Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited, Dr Toussant Boyce said during the seven-month programme, the young men and women who were drawn from the various regions of the country, underwent significant transformation – gaining invaluable learning experiences.
“This transformation or your transformation did not happen by chance. It came from effort, discipline and showing up even when it was not easy to do so. And as we say in Guyana, one, one dutty builds dam. Every assignment you received, every early morning lesson, every time you had to do a task over and over to be able to perfect it, matter, and led you to this moment right here. And this programme is so much more than banking, it is about building confidence, it is about building resilience and developing your own ability to think, to grow, and to adopt,” Dr Boyce told the graduates.
Throughout the programme, each apprentice was exposed to a combination of classroom instruction, on-the-job training and self-directed learning. Under the guidance of CTVET certified trainers and assessors, the young professionals gained skills and knowledge in a number of essential areas, necessary for the world of work.
They were assigned to various branches across Republic Bank’s network from October 2025 to April 2026, where they gained exposure to the day-to-day operations of the banking sector.
To date, 350 young people have graduated from the Youth Link Apprenticeship Programme.
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