The University of Guyana is overhauling its academic programmes in response to shifting attitudes among young people toward work and career, following two surveys that revealed a generation more focused on financial flexibility and personal fulfilment than traditional long-term employment.
Vice Chancellor Professor Paloma Mohamed, speaking today at the University’s Turkeyen Campus during a two-day Open Day and Job Fair, said the findings paint a clear picture of a workforce in transition.
“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,” Professor Mohamed said.
She noted that the implications are significant for employers, adding that the days of recruiting a teenager and expecting decades of loyalty to a single company are effectively over. The surveys also found that young professionals are demanding greater autonomy, along with room to create and innovate.
In response, the University is moving toward more flexible degree structures. Professor Mohamed pointed to a growing trend of medical graduates seeking to combine their training with business, not necessarily to practice medicine, but to build medical-related enterprises — a shift she said reflects the kind of cross-disciplinary thinking the institution now wants to accommodate.
“The way in which we have structured our education is too settled — they want more innovation, they want to design their degrees,” she said.
University Registrar Dr. Nigel Gravesande echoed the need for adaptation, saying the institution has been working closely with the private sector over the past five years to co-develop curricula that address real skills gaps and meet current and future market demands. He noted that the University’s Academic Board has also approved a range of short-term, industry-focused micro-credential qualifications designed to tackle immediate shortfalls in specialised skills.
The Open Day and Job Fair, which runs through Saturday, drew hundreds of current and prospective students and brought together 40 companies and organisations spanning sectors including energy and mining, education, agriculture, tourism, security, banking and finance, water and manufacturing.
Dr. Gravesande said the event serves as a vital bridge between academia and industry, providing students with direct access to employers while giving companies a pipeline to fresh talent and innovative thinking.
The fair is set to travel to Berbice next week, followed by Essequibo the week after, extending the University’s outreach across the country.
