Plan Ghana calls for transformative training systems to secure future of Ghana's youth

Plan International Ghana has called for a rapid transformation of training systems to develop the knowledge, skills and creativity needed to secure the future of young people in Ghana.

The transformative training, Plan Ghana believes, will enable young people to acquire decent jobs to sustain themselves, their families and the nation as a whole.

Graduation                                                                                                                                                                                                               Speaking at a graduation ceremony for 50 out-of-school young people who had undergone mobile phone repairs training on January 20, 2021 at Nsawam under the Youth Employment and Empowerment Project (YEEP), jointly implemented by Plan Ghana and MTN Ghana, the IT Manager of Plan International Ghana, Maud Tsagli said the project was designed to provide properly thought-through sustainable solutions to encourage the youth, particularly young women to participate in this field traditionally considered as a male dominated field.

“We at Plan International Ghana believe in equipping young people with employment and sustainable entrepreneurship skills for young women and girls in fulfilment of the SDG goal 8, which calls for decent and economic growth,” she said.

YEEP                                                                                                                                                                                                                            The project which graduated 14 ladies and 36 young men after undergoing an intensive 10-day training, gave beneficiaries certificates of participation, start-up tools and kiosks to commence work.

Areas covered under the training programme included repair and rectification of faults of mobile phones, how to maintain a safe and secure work environment, introduction to mobile phone technology, basic customer service, and front end repairs.

Madam Tsagli expressed the worry that “despite the fact that technical or vocational skills development and entrepreneurship are increasingly recognised as drivers for economic and social development particularly among young people, it still faces some challenges.” She said one of the main challenges facing technical and vocational training education is the fact that technical training suffers from low esteem, low appreciation and low appeal.

But for her, the YEEP has been specially designed to provide opportunity for skills development and decent youth employment for both male and female beneficiaries and expressed the hope that the training will help the beneficiaries to be economically independent since they are going to be provided with all the needed logistics to start their own businesses.

“Today, you're armed with one of the most important tools needed to forge your path ahead. I am not talking about the certificate and the start-up kits - it's about what you've learned along the way and what you do with the education you've gotten in your journey to graduation today,” she noted.

MTN’s commitment                                                                                                                                                                                                              A Board Member of the MTN Foundation, Mrs Nabilla Williams said the MTN Ghana Foundation has committed GH¢445,000 to support the training of 100 young women and men in Nsawam and Suhum in the Eastern region.

She expressed the hope that the YEEP initiative will provide employable skills to the many people who will take advantage of it.

“We are confident that this intervention will help reduce the youth unemployment as well as contribute towards the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 8,” she said.

Commendation                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The Municipal Chief Executive of Adoagyiri Municipal Assembly, Mr Isaac Kwadwo Buabeng thanked MTN Ghana Foundation and Plan International Ghana for the support.

“It is such a relief to see young men and women who are committed to developing and securing their future through hard work,” he added, and appealed to corporate organisations and institutions, as part of their corporate social responsibilities to invest in such programmes to compliment the efforts of the Assembly in promoting development at the grassroot.