RMU ready to partner next govt to equip youth with employable skills

The acting Vice-Chancellor of the Regional Maritime University (RMU), Dr Jethro Wilbert Brooks Jnr, has declared the university’s commitment to partnering the next government to provide young people with critical employable skills. 

He said Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) and apprenticeship training held the key to reducing the rising rate of youth unemployment, promoting innovation, and addressing social issues in Ghanaian communities.

“The promised apprenticeship programme is so vital for empowering our youth and enhancing our workforce to create pathways for skills development that will meet the demands of the economy in Ghana and the world at large,” Dr Brooks said at a ceremony to graduate the sixth batch of skilled mobile crane and forklift trainees at the RMU campus at Nungua in the Greater Accra Region last  Wednesday.

A total of 54 graduates, including four women, received certificates in Forklift and Mobile Crane operation having completed an intensive eight-week training programme in the discipline.

The training is a partnership between the RMU and the National Association for Heavy-Duty Equipment Operators Ghana (NAHOEG) under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2022 to enhance the skills of operators by equipping them with the needed skills and knowledge, thereby making their profession more relevant to society and the job market. 

Empowerment

Dr Brooks said being the apex maritime training institution in West Africa, RMU was prepared to use its fully developed and approved Ghana Maritime Authority Marine Engine Mechanic (MEM) programme, a six-month youth development programme for preparing ratings for sea-going purposes, as well as the university’s two and four years traditional training programmes to provide young people with greater opportunities in the job market and empower them to contribute meaningfully to national development.

“With the MEM programme, one does not need a West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificate. All you need is to know how to read and write,” he said, adding that after seven months of training and vetting, a graduate could be on sea for the first nine to twelve months.

Dr Brooks Jnr disclosed that currently, four major shipping lines took approximately 200 graduates every year and were still asking for more.

He reiterated RMU’s dedication to fostering youth employment, which he described as pivotal for regional security and development.

The President of NAHOEG, Dominic Kofi Eyiah, encouraged the graduates to embrace the responsibility to contribute to the development of Africa by effectively utilising the skills and knowledge gained to make a meaningful impact. He also advised the graduates to uphold high standards of professionalism.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Krowor Constituency, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, acknowledged RMU’s role in aligning their training offerings with the demands of the job market, ensuring that graduates were well-prepared for employment.

She said such training programmes fitted perfectly in the 24-hour economic policy of the President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, where factories and production plants would require such essential skills to contribute to production and enhance productivity.

The MP for Ledzokuku Constituency, Benjamin Narteh Ayiku, also admonished the graduates to utilise the skills received from the university to the benefit of the nation.

Writer’s email: Benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh