The Eastern Regional (ER) branch of the Ghana National Association of Garages (GNAG) on Friday held its regional election and hand-over ceremony for the first time in 20 years in Koforidua.
The programme which was held at the regional GRATIS office was attended by the representatives and district executives in the region.
The former Financial Secretary, Mr Ernest Peku, handed over the documents to the new secretary, Mr Eric KwabenaObutey.
In a brief remark, the former chairman, AlhajiIssahQuacoo, who held the fort for over 20 years appealed to the members to pay their dues regularly and on time because the financial standing of the association was not in good standing?
He said that the association had been in existence for the past years, but only in name without any physical assets, therefore it was important that members should support the new executives to build the image of the association.
The new chairman, Mr Samuel AbaaseWevawor, shared his vision and said he would ensure that there was total unity among the group in the region.
He said that he would liaise with well-known technology companies and institutions to assist them with capacity building to enable them to stay in business.
Mr Wevawor said he would ensure that before the end of his tenure all the districts would have permanent work places, adding that “accommodation has been a big challenge for the members with land litigations and ejections”.
A member of the association, and a tutor at Koforidua Technical Institute (KTI),Mr Prince Frank Larbi, used the occasion to brief the members on the Ghana Technical, Vocational Educational and Training Voucher Project which was under the Ghanaian-German Financial Development Cooperation, and being implemented by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET).
He said it was aimed at providing competency-based training to registered master craft persons and their apprentices and workers from the informal sector.
He noted that it was also to improve their access to accredited technical and vocational education and training and enable them to obtain the National Proficiency Certificates to operate.
“It is also to strengthen TVET stakeholders such as training institutions, trade associations and the regulatory body (COTVET) and establish a consistent incentive system for Vocational Training providers taking into consideration the labour market relevance of such training.
MrLarbi appealed to the master craft persons to open up their doors to apprentices and interested workers, especially technical and vocational students to do industrial attachments, since the nation’s development depended largely on TVET.
“The world is changing very fast and we need Ghanaians to also change to enable us catch up with it,” he said.
He also advised parents to sensitise their wards to go into TVET programmes in the various technical and vocational institutions because their services were need in nation development.
FROM SAMUEL OPARELARTEY, KOFORIDUA
