By Daniel Adu Darko
Abetifi (E/R), May 28, GNA – The Eastern Region is to benefit from a modern technical and vocational education and training (TVET) centre to enhance practical skills training and youth employment.
The GHC5.4 million facility, to be constructed at the Abetifi Kyemase Technical Institute, is being funded by the African Development Bank under the Post-COVID-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP).
Dr Kwaku Agbesi, a Project Engineer and Procurement Specialist with the Social Investment Fund (SIF), announced this during the handing over of the project site to Ryte Solutions for the commencement of work.
He said the project formed part of efforts to equip technical institutions with modern workshops and practical training facilities to prepare the youth for entrepreneurship and self-employment.
“We cannot develop with just grammar education; our surest bet is technical and vocational training. We need to move away from relying solely on monthly salaries that often yield little, and instead equip people to create their own wealth,” he stated.
Dr Agbesi said the centre would provide training opportunities in fashion, building construction, plumbing and electrical engineering for persons interested in acquiring employable skills.
He appealed to traditional authorities to encourage the youth to enrol in technical and vocational programmes to improve their livelihoods.
Dr Agbesi said the broader objective of the PSDPEP was to support sustainable post-pandemic recovery in the health sector while restoring the livelihoods of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).
“We have disbursed over GHC50 million to pandemic-affected SMEs, many of which have expanded their workforce from two employees to between 20 and 30, proving the impactful nature of this intervention,” he said.
Dr Agbesi said institutions such as the Ghana News Agency were also receiving support under the project to disseminate health research findings from the University of Ghana to strengthen the country’s preparedness against future pandemics.
He said the project also sought to bridge the gender gap in skills training by encouraging men and women to venture into non-traditional trades.
The 12-month project, expected to be completed within six months due to the availability of funds, would comprise an electrical workshop, classrooms, offices and a nursery for lactating mothers among staff and trainees.
Mr Joshua Vorodam, Kwahu East District Planning Officer, speaking on behalf of the District Chief Executive, Mr Samuel Asamoah, said the project demonstrated Government’s commitment to building a productive workforce under the “Resetting Ghana Agenda” spearheaded by President John Dramani Mahama.
He expressed confidence that the facility would help reduce unemployment and promote enterprise development in the district.
Madam Evelyn Dansoaa Boateng, Eastern Regional Director of the Ghana TVET Service, said the centre would serve as a practical training and field-trip facility for technical institutes in the region.
Madam Patricia Awo Nkrumah Opare-Agyei, Principal of the Institute, thanked the Government and donors for the intervention, describing it as timely for the school’s electrical department, which has an enrolment of 472 learners but lacks a standard workshop facility.
Mr David Gafah, an instructor at the Electrical Department, together with final-year students Stephen Agyei and Ms Gifty Owusu Afful, commended the initiative, saying it would help bridge the gap between theoretical and practical training.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Daniel Adu Darko
Email: [email protected]