Government urged to set up skills development fund

Mrs Efua Otuwaa Goode-Obeng Kyei, Director of EKGS Culinary Institute, has appealed to government to set up a skill development fund to cater for young people who want to learn employable skills but are financially handicapped.

Mrs. Goode-Obeng Kyei said the Institute has observed that many people desired to acquire skills in the culinary sector but were unable to do so because of the enrolment fees and other overhead cost and therefore appealed to government to come to their aid by subsidising the fees.

She made the appeal in Accra at the 38th graduation ceremony of 90 students of the institute who had undergone six months training in cake making and decorating including Sugar-craft, Pastry Art, Cookery Art, and Floral Decor.

The Director of EKGS said the institute was planning to give credit start-up kits with flexible payment terms to trainees too help them establish their businesses.

The institute would also create a network of trainees to ensure and offer them free business advisory services.

She said giving young people skills training had a rippling effect, since they would set up their own business outlets and train other people to gain employable skills.

This, she explained, will help in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals agenda of reducing poverty by 2030, since people who acquired skills were empowered to work and pay taxes to build the economy.

She said the Institute, since its inception 19 years ago, had trained hundreds of young people and provided them with employable skills.

Some products of the Institute, she said were managing leading hospitality facilities both in Ghana and abroad.

The Director of the Institute said her outfit had plans of opening an outlet in Kumasi, to expand the scope of operations and add to their clientele.

She called on the Ministry of Trade and Industries, the Association of Ghana Industries and the Ghana Standards Authority to come up with a strategic plan to help improve the quality of local products to develop trust and confidence in made-in-Ghana products.

Nana Otuo Owoahene Acheampong, President of the Ghana Association of Visual Artists, commended the Institute for giving hope to the hopeless in society through skills training.

He encouraged the graduands to continue to upgrade their knowledge to be abreast with latest trends in their chosen career.