Mr Christian Agordah, an Engineer and the Head of Monitoring and Evaluation/Coordinator, National Anti-corruption Action Plan (NACAP, National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) has called for a total paradigm shift towards skills development.
He said the paradigm shift towards skills development would enable skills, provided by industry and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems to be able to effectively respond and deal with the youth unemployment in the nation.
He urged the Government to prioritise skills development as the ultimate solution to the youth unemployment in the country.
Mr Agordah made the appeal at the sixth graduation ceremony of Weekend's Vocational Institute in Tema.
The event, which was on the theme "Responding to the Three Basic Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing and Shelter through Skills Empowerment", saw 24 students graduated in Catering, Cakes and Sugar Craft, Event Planning and Decoration, Millinery and Pastries.
So far, the Institute, which was founded seven years ago with one student, had now trained 99 students.
Mr Agordah said responding to the three basic necessities of life through skills empowerment could be seen developing the talent or expertise of the individual in order to grant them the power or authority to perform a task or job in an identified area of profession or trade in order to provide food, clothing and shelter for oneself and others.
He explained that this eventually would lead to reduction in poverty.
He said skills truly brings empowerment to individuals by providing the basic necessities of life.
He said skills empowerment was not limited to only the hard skills, but included good understanding of soft skills such as leadership and management skills.
With regards to skills training, Mr Agordah appealed to authorities of training institutions to ensure that adequate career counselling was provided to prospective trainees to guide their career choices.
He also suggested that stakeholders must ensure that the curriculum for training was industry-led.
He advised the graduating students to take the skills they had acquired very seriously and ensure that they meet the basic necessities of life.
Mrs Angelina Banson, Founder, Weekend's Vocational Institute, said the students after successfully completing their courses had the privilege of acquiring NVTI Certificates; declaring that "indeed the graduating Class of 2018 is the first of such beneficiaries".
To the graduating students, Mrs Banson said: "You've made it. This is a major step in life, one that should be recognised for it's immense significance. It is not only of personal commitment but also one of pride."
"You've all worked hard to get to this day and your efforts did not go waste. A skill is a wonderful tool in this world, one that opens doors and opportunities for anyone who is lucky enough to get one. But graduation is not an end but part of a long journey in life," she added.
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