Stop chasing white-collar jobs
The Executive Director of the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI), Mr Stephen Ampomah, has underscored the importance of technical and entrepreneurial skills development as a positive step to address youth unemployment.
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He said by training the youth to acquire such skills, they would be discouraged from searching for non-existing white collar jobs, and have the chance to make effective use of their God-given talent to become self-employed, create jobs for others and contribute to the progress and development of the nation.
Delivering the keynote address at the 11th graduation ceremony of the Kumasi Vocational Training Institute at Suame in Kumasi at the weekend, he advised the fresh graduates to enter the world of market with the mindset of working hard to be self-employed rather than joining the queue of unemployed graduates searching for non-existing white collar jobs.
Technological advancement
The Institute Manager of the Kumasi Vocational Training Institute, Mr Richard Addo-Gyamfi, noted that with the rapid technological advancement, it was incumbent on technical institutions to expose students to practical teaching methods and make them compete effectively on the job market.
Speaking on the theme: “Equipping the Youth with Competitive Practical Skills: The Role of Vocational Training in the 21st Century”, he said the mission of the institute was to provide students with demand-driven employable skills in order to enhance the income-generating capacities of the youth through competency-based apprenticeship, master craftsmanship, testing and career development.
In all, 181 students successfully passed out. They undertook apprenticeship programmes in carpentry, masonry, auto mechanic, cookery and basketry.
Developmental goals
In a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Director of the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), Mrs Rhodaline Conduah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Peter Anarfi-Mensah, said there was no way a country could attain its developmental goals without harnessing its vocational and technical potentials.
He said the government was committed to employing the National Vocational Training Act 351, 1970, which established the NVTI as the vehicle to provide vocational guidance and career development in the industry, pointing out that providing tools for the various vocational institutions was a true manifestation of government’s commitment to strengthening vocational and technical education.
The Service Manager of Toyota Ghana, Mr Samuel Amponsah, in a speech read on his behalf by the Branch Manager of Toyota Ghana, Mr Peter Asante, charged authorities of vocational and technical institutions to make sure their programmes were designed to meet the demands of the labour market, so as not to leave students unemployed after graduating from school.