E/R: Invest in Technical and Vocational Education - Institute Manager to Gov't

Madam Felicia Akapame, manager for Asamankese St. Mary Vocational Training Institute has called on the government to invest in the Technical and Vocational sector in order to improve livelihoods and reduce the unemployment rate in the country.

According to Madam Felicia Akapame, the skills of a workforce make the economy of its Country competitive. This she insists depends on the quality of the Country's educational and training systems. The manager believes Vocational education and its associated skills are key to a Country's economic development.

She made this pronouncement during St. Mary Vocational Training Institute’s third graduation ceremony held on Saturday 29th June 2019, at the school premises under the theme “Eradicating unemployment through Technical and Vocational Education, the role of stakeholders”.

“Companies that depend on human labour for production invest in countries with highly skilled human resource. This tends to reduce the pressure on the economy by inviting foreign companies to invest in the Country's economy as they utilize the human resource to achieve their goals”, she added.

Rev. Father Paul Tordzro Parish Priest, Asamankese St. Mary, said with relevant employable skills, individuals can set up their own companies and organizations, creating more job opportunities available to the unemployed" he said.

“In today’s knowledge-driven and competitive global economy, technical and vocational training is a fundamental element in the development equation, because it allows individuals and societies to unlock their potentials, expand their horizons and adapt to changes in the dynamic world”, he said.

He noted, it provides a mix of knowledge and career-focused education and training that is needed to run the productive sectors of the economy and build the nation.

“It also equips men and women for the job market or self-employment, thereby increasing their self-reliance and self-confidence,” he added.

Saint Mary’s Vocational Training Centre (SMAVOC), until the year 2000 was known as Asamankese Women’s Vocational Training Centre (AWVTC). It was established in 1980 by the social Aid Guild of Ghana (SAGG), under the chairmanship of His Grace, Most Rev. Dominic Kwadwo Andoh, the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese of Accra.