The modern era of computer training in Guyana began in January 1985 with the launch of Computer World in Middle Street, Georgetown. The launch was more of a marketing feat than an operational launch but was very successful, with 500 persons storming the office on the first day to collect brochures and make a downpayment on the G$150 course fee. Within days, the company acquired a number of Commodore 64 Personal Computers, and began offering a 6 weeks, certificate course in Microcomputing – Programming and Operations.
A few months after the opening of Computer World, one of its founders left and started a competing school named Computer International on Camp Street, Georgetown. Computer International was fairly successfully for a while and managed to gain a leadership position in the children’s market. More competition would soon follow when the then Georgetown School of Accountancy launched The Computer Training Center, CTC in Charlotte Street.
The demand for computer training was high in the 1980’s and all three schools flourished for a while. At that time The IBM PC was the dominant office computer with the MS-DOS operating system being the industry standard. WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and dBASE were the dominant office applications. Things changed when Microsoft introduced the Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite which ultimately led to the demise of WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3 and dBASE as industry leaders.
After a few years, both Computer International and Computer Training Center exited the market and after a decade Global Technology entered the market and became the number one competitor to Computer World. It quickly achieved a large market share by focusing on the high end of the market while at the same time attacking the mass market with it’s Foundation Package for beginners. Other minor players entered and exited the market but none managed to challenge the dominance of Computer World and Global Technology, which remain the market leaders today.
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