The University of Guyana has been studying the current trends in the local job market, and is making the necessary changes to meet the demands.

Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Paloma Mohamed, explained today that two recent surveys conducted by the University have revealed that young people have no interest in lifelong careers, as they prefer to explore career paths that would meet their current financial needs.

“They are saying that they are not seeing a future in which one job is going to be a lifelong vocation. They are saying to us that we are going to do what we need to do now. We are going to work not to live, but to work to finance what we want to do in our lives at this moment. And if you think about what that means, it means that no longer can you recruit a person who is 15-years old and who is 18 years old and expect them to be with your company until they are 60,” Professor Mohamed explained.

The Vice Chancellor said the surveys also revealed that young professionals are calling for more autonomy that would allow them to create and innovate.

She said at the level of the University, programmes are being designed to meet the ever evolving needs of its students.

“For us educators, it is telling us that the way in which we have structured our education is too settled – they want more innovation, they want to design their degrees. For instance, we are seeing people who are coming out of medical school who want to do business, because they want to do a medical business, they don’t necessarily want to be a doctor. So, this kind of flexibility is what we are also working on,” the Vice Chancellor said.

Registrar of the University of Guyana, Dr Nigel Gravesande said he believes that as industries in Guyana continue to evolve, it is imperative for the University to remodel its delivery methods to ensure its graduates remain employable and innovative.

He said the University of Guyana has been working with the Private Sector to strengthen its curriculum.

“One, curriculum co-development as distinct from curriculum development and here the University has seen the need for industries to help in identifying the skills gap and to collaborate with us, particularly, over the last five years of our history to restructure curriculum, to ensure programmes meet current and future market needs,” Dr Gravesande said.

It was noted that in the area of micro credentials, the Academic Board of the University has approved a range of short term industry focus qualifications that are intended to help address immediate skill shortages.

Hundreds of current and perspective students of the University of Guyana showed up today at the University’s Turkeyen Campus to explore opportunities that exist both on and off campus.

The University is hosting a two-day Open Day and Job Fair, which will end on Saturday.

The event has brought together 40 companies and organizations from across various sectors including Energy and Mining, Education, Agriculture, Tourism, Security, Banking and Finance, Water and Manufacturing.

The University’s Registrar said the event is helping to connect students and prospective students with industries.

“I commend this vision and collaboration over the next two days of open day and job fair, which will provide opportunities for continuous access with industry, and provide access of fresh flow of talent, innovative ideas and specialized knowledge, which increases for the benefit of industries and productivity in general, the direction our country is going,” he said.

The Open Day and Job Fair will move to Berbice next week, and then head to Essequibo the following week.

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