Since November 2018, USAID’s Community Family and Youth Resilience (CFYR) Project has provided life-skills, job readiness and vocational training opportunities for over 500 at-risk Guyanese youth between age 16-29 as part of its workforce development thrust.

Seventeen year old Reanna Smith recently graduated from an 8-month electrical installation training program in Georgetown under the aegis of Guyana’s Volunteer Youth Corps (VYC), a local vocational training institution. Reanna, the only female in the program, successfully completed Level 1 Certification and won the Top Performer prize. She plans to pursue Level 2 certification allowing for greater opportunities in the building sector.

US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission, Mark Cullinane, participated in a joint closing ceremony for 77 students from four Georgetown communities who completed the training. The graduates will continue to benefit from six months of life coaching to support them in job retention. Reanna was one of six students awarded top honors for their performance.