Macorp renews MOU with UG; Technology Faculty gets $1.7M

By Kurt Campbell

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Macorp on Wednesday (March 12) renewed for the second time a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation between itself and the University of Guyana (UG) which was initially signed in September 2009.

The MoU which affords Macorp and the University of Guyana, through the Faculty of Technology, continuous opportunities to further national development through enhanced tertiary education and training, is for a period of two years, with the option of renewal.

According to Macorp’s Product Support Manager, Guillermo Escarraga the renewal of the MOU is consistent with the company’s mission which is to become the undisputed leader in supplying sustainable integrated solutions to customers.

He explained that to accomplish this, the company relies on and sees human talent as most important and as such have moved to invest in the development of a strong workforce.

“We need young engineers that can hit the ground running, that can deliver from day one” he said, adding that the company has seen results from the four years the MOU has been in place and noted the company’s enthusiasm with which it has moved to continue.

“Our country requires a skillful workforce today more than ever” Escarraga said as he encouraged other private sector organizations to follow Macorp’s lead.

Meanwhile, UG’s Vice Chancellor Professor Jacob Opadeyi said the UG is thankful for the partnership with Macorp given the fact that the institution was only able to school engineers and not properly train them.

He also challenged other industries to do the same which he said will help to compete at the international level.

With the signing of above-mentioned MoU, the Faculty of Technology of the University of Guyana receives $850,000 annually; this money is expected to be used to sponsor final year projects, sponsorship of research and acquisition of capital items including books and instructional materials among others.

Further, it allows the faculty to utilise Macorp’s services, including laboratory and testing facilities. UG also received a laptop, projector and portable screen along with an all-in-one printer, scanner and photocopier.