A results sharing workshop on the Improving Work Opportunities, Relaying Knowledge (I-WORK) project was held in Accra yesterday.
The I-WORK project, currently in its pilot stage, was organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the United Kingdom in partnership with the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) and facilitated by the British Council Ghana.
The project was aimed at equipping youths in the country with skills and training to boost their work opportunities by partnering with institutions from the United Kingdom to develop projects that would best enhance the skills and knowledge of the youth.
Dr Fred Asamoah, Executive Director of COTVET, in his address at the workshop said the project was great as it sought to improve the employable skills within the youth in the country.
“Possessing skills is an important attribute that everyone must possess in order to compete in the local and global markets. It is important that we all not only have basic skills but skills that improve our employment opportunities, skills that will give us an edge when searching for a job,” he added.
Dr Asamoah noted that youths in Ghana were smart but lacked certain skills to give an edge over other people; this was why the I-WORK project was instituted to give youths some leverage to boost their skills and compete globally.
“This project is not just for those in the present age but we are hopeful that this project would continue to help other institutions in the country and improve the capacity of the workforce in the country,” he stated.
Mr Samuel Gyedu-Brefo, Project Manager at the British Council said six Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions alongside other TVET institutions from other countries in the Commonwealth including India, Malaysia, and South Africa were instructed and trained by representatives from UK institutions on how to go about implementing projects to help the youth in their institutions.
“As such today’s workshop is to showcase what the six institutions from Ghana have learnt, the progress they have made in implementing their projects, the challenges they faced and the impact on the youths in their institutions,” the project manager added.
Mr Gyedu-Brefo urged the institutions to envision other projects aside what was decided from the I-WORK project so that the task of continuously educating and empowering youths could continue without external aid.
The presentations from each institution showed how youths were sent to some industries to receive hands-on training to aid in filling the skills gap that was spotted by industry players both local and foreignand the knowledge and skills they obtained.
BY FREDERICK GADESE-MENSAH
