Pathways for Sustainable Employment for Women and Youth (PASEWAY) project implemented by Youth Opportunity and Transformation in Africa (YOTA), has provided skills employment opportunities to hundreds of Ghanaian youth on the theme “TVET, Catalyst for Job Creation and Employment,”.
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.
This came to light during the presentation of an apprenticeship completions certificates of the final graduation ceremony and the launch of an artisan association held in Accra.
The occasion was used to celebrate the achievement of young people who went through skills training and formalised their microenterprises.
The project aimed at providing formal employment for youth within the hospitality and construction sectors across the country.
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.
The PASEWAY project is led by Plan International with Youth Opportunity and Transformation in Africa (YOTA) being the implemented organization.
The Project Coordinator YOTA, Mr. Eric Saforo encouraged the women to be bold and value what they have gained and be humble, and learn more.
“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”.
The beneficiaries of the project he mentioned, have gone through internship opportunities leading to permanent job opportunities with construction companies, and charged them to approach the jobs with positive attitude.
The Acting Director, Training Assessment and Quality Assurance at TVET, Mr. Eric Saforo on his part said, the project partners were proud of the achievement of the beneficiaries of the project.
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.
Mr. Debrah pointed out that, unemployment is one of the challenges facing the youth in almost all the countries.
He averred that, TVET’s orientation towards the world of work and the acquisition of employable skills means that it is well placed to address 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.
He 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.
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 learn 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.
