Dominic Eduah
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has provided support to some 341 artisans selected from the Greater Accra region who sat for the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) proficiency examinations.
The initiative forms part of the 2021 edition of the foundation’s livelihood empowering programme themed: ‘The Skilled Artisans Project (SAP)’ implemented to help the training and equipping of mostly young artisans across Ghana with vocational skills and tools needed to improve their livelihoods.
The 2021 SAP begun with the registration and enrollment of trainee artisans in 6 regions namely, Greater Accra, Eastern, Ashanti, Central, Western and Western North regions.
Having undergone refresher training in various vocational skills such as plumbing, fashion, carpentry, auto-mechanics, general electrical, and aluminum fabrication among others, the examination is aimed at ensuring that artisans meet the standardisation requirements and qualification for their respective skill areas and thus, increasing their suitability for job placements and handing them the requisite know-how to start enterprises of their own.
Executive Director of the GNPC Foundation, Dr. Dominic Eduah, during a working visit to the Kokomlemle NVTI examination center where artisans in the Electrical, Aluminum Fabrication, Motor Vehicle & Engineering and Carpentry vocational skills area took their NVTI proficiency examinations, said the SAP remains one of the strategies designed and implemented by the foundation, together with Aseda Foundation, to add value to the lives of Ghana’s youth who have taken up interest in acquiring vocational skills.
In the subsequent stages of the programme, beneficiaries will be taken through soft skills training in standards of business and entrepreneurship.
The Business Advisory Centre (BAC) of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) will take beneficiaries through course models such as book-keeping, marketing/sales, branding, customer relations, attitude to work, safety at work and entrepreneurship.
Successful artisans from here on will undergo a graduation ceremony where each would be handed a set of tools relevant to their skills to help set them up for their entrepreneurial journeys.
Already under the project, over 800 out of a targeted number of 2050 artisans from the Central, Western and Western North Regions have been supported to sit the NVTI exams.
Artisans enrolled in the programme in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions are expected to also benefit from same in the coming months.
A Business Desk Report