WUSC launches 'So Me Mu' mentorship program to support women in TVET
In the quest to bridge the gap between gender stereotypes and equality in society, the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), through the Innovation in Non-Tradition Vocational Education and Skills Training (INVEST) has launched the 'So Me Mu' mentorship program.
The "So Me Mu" mentorship program seeks to match young women participating in male-dominated TVET sectors with technical professionals in sectors such as energy, extractives, and construction for mentorship, guidance, and support.
Again, the program aimed at the acceleration of personal and professional development of mentors and mentees and the creation of a community of young female technical professionals to establish networks, learn and grow.
Selected mentors will be recognized for their volunteers, will expand their professional network, and also gain new skills through the training workshop to be conducted for them.
Speaking at the launch, on Tuesday 25th July in Accra, Appiah Wiafe Adofo, Project Director, INVEST indicated that "the INVEST project would ultimately like to see young women occupying positions and/or creating businesses and job opportunities in sectors that are lucrative and traditionally dominated by men."
To achieve this, Mr Appiah Wiafe Adofo stressed that social and cultural norms that have given way to barriers to entry into these spaces cannot be ignored.
However, he believe that one of the sure-fire ways to counteract expected challenges is to support these young women with enabling support services such as mentorship.
"Having a network of professionals who have established themselves within the industry that trainees, apprentices, and entrepreneurs can connect with helps to facilitate their journey into the Labor market," he stated.
The mentorship program is open to mentors who are passionate about providing coaching and guidance support for assigned mentees for a minimum of 3 months.
Mentorships will be made available to candidates through face-to-face and virtual sessions for young women in Accra, Kumasi, and Takoradi.
In her remarks, Suzanne Stump First Secretary (DEV), Ghana Program High Commission of Canada emphasized that gender equality and the empowerment of women and youth are central to Canada's international assistance efforts around the world since the adoption of the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) in June 2017.
While gender equality and women's empowerment have been longstanding goals for Canada, she added that this feminist policy is important because it asserts that these goals are central to development, prosperity, and peace everywhere.
According to her, mentorship is a powerful tool for successful women entrepreneurs and business owners, particularly those who have been trained in male-dominated fields, to pass on their knowledge and experience to young women who are just starting.
"Now more than ever post-COVID, we all need to learn from our successes (and from the challenges we have faced) in programming initiatives, especially if we want to innovate, work with different partners, support women leaders, and support Ghana to reach its goals for Ghana Beyond Aid and it's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) commitments.
"Projects like INVEST, designed to challenge gender stereotypes and to complement ongoing initiatives within the TVET sector, will contribute to creating both an enabling environment and increased access to decent work opportunities for young women. In these tough economic times this is particularly encouraging", Suzanne Stump stated.
Interested candidates can visit the link below to read more about the program and submit an application www.theinvestproject.com/mentorship