As part of effort in bridging the gap of youth unemployment in Ghana, Pathways for Sustainable Employment for Women and Youth (PASEWAY) project has provided skills development and technical training for over 250 graduates.
The PASEWAY project which is led by Plan International and implemented by Youth Opportunity and Transformation in Africa (YOTA) also used the occasion to launch an artisan association.
The event is aimed at providing formal employment for youth within the hospitality and construction sectors.
YOTA over the years has partnered with Ghana TVET Service to provide technical skills training and recognition on prior learning for unskilled female participants and semi-skilled youth across the country.
YOTA’s first graduation ceremony saw over 950 young men and women obtained their Proficiency 1 and apprenticeship completions certificates, so the final graduation ceremony last Friday January 27, 2023, celebrated the achievement of young people who underwent soft-skills training and formalized their microenterprises.
The event also saw the launch of the first ever Young Construction Entrepreneurs Platform and Association of Youth in Construction, a platform which link industry players and job seekers.
Speaking at the event, the Project Coordinator, Mr. Eric Saforo said over 200 young women with no prior skills in the construction sector were taken through a 6-month-long intensive training in interior decoration, tiling, plumbing, P.O.P installation, electrical work and painting.
Mr. Saforo said the project partners were proud of the achievement of the beneficiaries of the project.
He added that the beneficiaries of the project, have gone through internship opportunities leading to permanent job opportunities with construction companies and charged them to approach the jobs with positive attitude.
“I want to encourage the participants to keep what they’ve learnt during the training at heart. To the women, be bold and value what you’ve gained but be humble and learn more but don’t look down on yourself and don’t allow anyone to look down on you just because you are a woman. Dare to be excellent and don’t compare yourself to others,” he urged.
The Acting Director, Training Assessment and Quality Assurance at TVET, Mr. Samuel Debrah speaking on the theme “TVET, Catalyst for Job Creation and Employment,” said the theme is more appropriate in an era where unemployment is one of the challenges facing the youth in almost all the countries.
Mr. Debrah said TVET provides skills, knowledge, and attitudes to prepare individuals for employment or self-employment, aid individuals to uphold the dignity of labour and right attitudes to real work situations.
He said TVET is the only catalyst that can solve the youth unemployment situation the world is currently facing globally hence the need to hold on to what they have learnt over these months and ensure they put it into good use because quality TVET is widely recognized as having an important role to play in tackling this problem.
He added that TVET’s orientation towards the world of work and the acquisition of employable skills means that it is well placed to addressing issues such as skills mismatch that have impeded smooth school-to-work transitions for many young people today.
Mr. Debrah said the grammar type of education is no longer the elitist system it once was, but a global mass market and TVET is a potential tool for job creation and employment in Ghana and beyond.
“TVET has proven to be an educational pathway used to significantly reduce unemployment mainly because its focus is on providing work-relevant skills,” he stated.
Mr. Debrah said the Ghana TVET Service, believe that skills training is a matter of course for every Ghanaian youth given the contribution that skilled workers can make to the socio-economic and technological development of the country.
“I would like to commend Plan International, the government of Germany and YOTA for the strategic partnership in training the youth with hard and soft industry relevant skills to make them employable and contribute to national development.
The President of Paseway Project Association, Mr. Isaac Yaw Yeboah, urged the youth to make good use of every opportunity because “your future depends on what you do today.”
