Youth urged to go into vocational skills

Dr (Mrs) Faustina Essandoh, Acting Director of the Department of Community Development has urged the youth to study skills training at the technical and vocational institutions, as a viable alternative to sustainable livelihood.

She said developed countries often focus on technical and vocational education training, which was paramount to the development of their countries.

Dr (Mrs) Essandoh made the call at the 46th Graduation, Speech and Prize-Giving Day of the National Community Development Vocational and Technical Institute at Madina.

It was on the theme ‘Bridging the gap between Academia and Industry: The Role of TVET’.

She said the main aim of the institute was to promote and provide vocational and technical skills, as well as entrepreneurship training for the youth to ensure a sustainable development in the communities, including those in the rural areas, the vulnerable and urban poor settlements.

Dr (Mrs) Essandoh said it was also to promote and ensure improvement in the living standards of people in the rural areas and disadvantaged sections of urban communities through their own initiatives and active participation in the decentralizing process.

She said this was to facilitate and enhance accelerated development of communities in the country, adding that, Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) was one of the various ways of achieving national growth.

The Acting Director said TVET had gained some prominence in recent times owing to its employment advantages.

“As a country, it is very important to change the negative perception and dispel the notion that TVET is for those who are not good academically since skills training provides ready employment as against the so-called academic programmes’, Dr (Mrs) Essandoh added.

Mrs Rachel O. Kpelle, Principal of the Institute, said the institute, established in 1967, had come a long way in imparting vocational and technical skills to the youth and the vulnerable in the communities.

She said TVET had endured the wrong perception that it was meant for school dropouts and people with low level of intelligence.

This, she said, had negatively affected the delivery of TVET, as the institutions were poorly resourced due to the low patronage it enjoyed and eventually leading to the neglect of such institutions.

Mrs Kpelle said even though TVET institutions continue to register low patronage, the technical and vocational industry continues to expand, so naturally, there would be a great demand TVET graduates to work at the expanding industries.

She said sadly, TVET institutions cannot meet the demand thus, creating a void, which had forced industries to fill its vacancies with expatriates...

The Principal said the institute has begun teaching aquaculture as a subject, as part of the Aquaculture Project initiated by Sky Fox, an NGO, that is into water, sanitation and Agribusiness.

She, therefore, appealed to Government to resource all TVET institutions to meet industry standards.

Mrs Jennifer Dede Afagbedzi, La Nkwantanag Madina Municipal Chief Executive said plans were far advanced for government to provide the institute with a 200-bed capacity dormitory to enhance effective teaching and learning.

Students who excelled during the year received awards.