“It’s nonetheless an rising market so there aren’t going to be big numbers, but when I used to be in command of worldwide scholar recruitment, I’d be trying on the oil and fuel executives – the expats and native Guyanese staff who’ve discovered increased paying jobs,” CEO of Intead Ben Waxman instructed The PIE Information.
In 2022, Guyana was reclassified as a high-income nation by the World Financial institution after Exxon Mobil found big offshore oil shops in 2015, placing the nation on monitor to be a high oil producer by 2027 and boosting its quickly rising center class.
On high of Guyana’s financial prospects, it’s the solely English-speaking nation in South America, so there is no such thing as a language barrier for college students learning within the US, UK Canada or Australia, in keeping with Waxman.
“The entire nation has a inhabitants of 800,000 so it’s a comparatively small market, the rise of the center class will take a while and lots of households usually are not going to have the ability to afford a overseas training with out scholarships.
“However likelihood is that the executives working for these [oil and gas] firms are on the lookout for alternatives exterior the nation for his or her children to be educated,” stated Waxman.
Guyanese college students have restricted choices for post-secondary training at residence, with the College of Guyana rating 192 in The QS Latin American and Caribbean 2024 college rankings.
Sooner or later sooner or later, economics and politics and different issues can change and if you happen to’re completely reliant on China, or India or South Korea, you’re going to be in bother.
Ben Waxman
The US State Division places Guyana at a stage 3 danger as a consequence of crime, which signifies that the relative perceived security of the US may be much less of a priority for Guyanese college students than it’s for college students from different locations comparable to Japan, Waxman famous.
Whereas Guyana’s dimension means it’ll by no means substitute the Indian or Chinese language markets, there may be rising consciousness of the significance of diversifying supply nations to mitigate the chance of counting on college students from one market.
“There’s extra recognition that range is essential; and it’s not simply concerning the worth of getting range, but it surely’s additionally about having a extra various provide chain of scholars.
“Sooner or later sooner or later, economics and politics and different issues can change and if you happen to’re completely reliant on China, or India or South Korea, you’re going to be in bother.
“So, the smart recruiters are recognising that actuality, so that they’re going to their mainstays, however yearly they’re additionally going to at least one or two rising markets simply to ensure the availability chain goes to be there for years and years,” stated Waxman.
With 27% of the Guyanese inhabitants aged 10 – 24 and a median age of 26, Guyana’s massive youth inhabitants is one other attraction for establishments trying to develop into the market, which is underdeveloped in terms of scholar recruitment.
Alongside the financially motivated college students from the oil and fuel trade, it’s this younger cohort of Guyanese which are more and more involved concerning the atmosphere, which recruitment officers ought to keep in mind, in keeping with Waxman.
“There’s particular curiosity in learning overseas, particularly amongst college students on the post-graduate stage or these in search of interdisciplinary packages within the arduous sciences,” stated Mellissa Ifill, deputy vice chancellor of Institutional Development on the College of Guyana.
Guyana’s low-lying shoreline is placing the nation at nice danger from heavy rainfall, sea-level rise and flooding brought on by local weather change, regardless of the nation’s newfound oil wealth, the rising era of Guyanese college students have local weather change on their thoughts.
“Worldwide establishments are generally blind and suppose that they need to promote the whole establishment … it is a case the place I’d pitch a set of packages,” stated Waxman.
“I believe it’s all about environmental sciences and oil and fuel … and that’s the place many US establishments have nice strengths,” he added.
