Mr Dan Kwaku Botwe, Member of Parliament for Okere, has said there is the need for more attention to be given to the Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) sector to help address the high rate of unemployment in the country.
He said people who are fortunate to graduate from the technical education training sector do have direct job opportunities hence the need to focus on that sector in order to create more opportunities for the youth.
Speaking at a ceremony to present start-up business equipments to 56 youth in the Okere constituency, Mr Botwe said TVET plays a critical role in the informal sector which was mainly dominated by people with small businesses.
Mr Botwe, who is also the Minister for Regional Reorganization and Development, said the fact that after completion of basic education many students end up in learning trades, points to the need for the TVET sector to be supported to erase prevailing misconceptions.
The presentation was made by the Vocational Training for Females (VTF) a Presbyterian non- governmental organization, under a project to equip young people who have completed apprenticeship in hairdressing, dressmaking, shoemaking and catering.
Each of the 55 beneficiaries were presented with start up business equipment such as standing dryer, sterilizers and washing sink for the hairdressers; industrial sewing machine for the dressmakers and shoemakers; and industrial ovens and a cylinders for the caterers, all amounting to GHC 60, 000.
Ms Linda Agyei, the Director of VTF, said skills acquisition and training alone does not create employment and there is the need for interventions such as the start up support in the form of capital and other technical inputs to ensure the success and growth of an initiative.
She said in order to achieve the objective of supporting the beneficiaries to establish their businesses and move from micro to small medium and eventually industries, they need to undergo Entrepreneur Skills Training (EST).
Ms Agyei said the three-tier training module would treat topics like customer service, marketing skills and records keeping amongst others to enhance their professionalism.
The VTF was established to promote TVET and apprenticeship which engenders employment creation, provides opportunities for young people to be innovative and provides services that would enable TVET graduates transit easily unto the labour market.
<<Print>>