By Christabel Addo
Accra, Sept. 14, GNA-The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) in partnership with the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) Ghana, have empowered 381 young people with technical and vocational skills to become self-reliant.
The skills training, which targeted mostly young women (205) representing 53.8 per cent, became possible under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme, dubbed, the “Young Africa Works” (YAW) initiative, a three-year project supported by the MasterCard Foundation and other development partners.
Professor Samuel Boakye Dampare, the Director-General of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, explained that the project, adopted the market-driven approach to science and technology research at GAEC, through Competency-Based Training (CBT) of the informal sector for skills development, self-employment, and industry uptake, and the Commission’s Technical and Vocational Training Centre currently served as an interface between the Council for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) and the informal sector.
He mentioned some of the trade areas such as consumer electronics, welding and fabrication, block molding, floriculture, composting.
Speaking at the second graduation ceremony for 62 young women in Accra, on the theme: “TEVET in Electronics for Sustainable Development,” the Director-General, said the project’s aim was to create effective engagements between COTVET and the informal sector, as well as build capacity in this area to meet industry-defined quality standards.
He congratulated the graduands for their selection to be part of the two-month training, and for successfully completing their respective programmes in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), including Computer Hardware, and in Photography, for which they were provided with start-up kits, seed funds and certificates to commence business.
He advised the graduands not hesitate to preach the good news about this training programme to their colleagues, to enable them to also benefit from the great opportunity for the nation’s socio-economic benefit.
Prof. Dampare thanked the Master Card Foundation and all the development partners for their support, saying the GAEC-CAMFED Ghana partnership had since the signing of an agreement in October 2019 had been phenomenal.
He said plans were afoot to give the GAEC Centre the necessary boost and recognition, and also resource it with the requisite logistics and qualified personnel, incentives, and performance targets to deliver on their mandate and appealed for more support to achieve these objectives.
Ms Sheila Frimpong, the Project Director, and Deputy Director of the Commercialisation and Communication Directorate, GAEC, said the three-year project apart from building the capacities of young women in meeting defined quality standards to be industry oriented and self-reliant, would also identify research areas that may need support for females.
She cautioned the beneficiaries about the numerous challenges ahead in the business world, encouraged them to remain resilient and not to relent on all efforts to work hard towards their set goals, while seeking for further opportunities to improve upon their skills.
She also encouraged young women aged 18 to 35 years with proof of needy, to contact CAMFED for their enrollment unto the programme to safeguard their future.
Mrs Sally Ofori Yeboah, the National Director, CAMFED Ghana, said as an implementing partner of the MasterCard Foundation YAW strategy, the Organisation seeks to find solutions to the youth employment challenge and reduce poverty in Africa, hence it had a target to reach 30 million young people especially women, to secure dignified and fulfilling works for them by 2030.
She said GAEC’s partnership with CAMFED, would soar participation of females in the TVET sector and fulfill national and international aspirations, particularly the Sustainable Development Goat 4, which seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
The Commission later opened its new multi-media laboratory to support the training of students.
GNA