Ghana should put premium on skills development – Provost
Professor Sam Afranie, Provost of the College of Arts and Social Science , Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has called for a more aggressive push towards skills development training for the youth.
This, he said, is the way Ghana should go to rein in the growing unemployment and grow the economy.
He was speaking at a ceremony held for the first batch of 190 fresh students admitted by the University to undertake a three-month, training in jewellery design.
The programme, a partnership between the KNUST and the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, seeks to enhance the competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises in the jewellery industry through technology and innovation.
About 600 young people have been targeted to benefit, now up to 2015.
Prof Afranie urged the trainees to apply the technological skills they would acquire to transform the industry and their lives.
The expectation is that they would do things differently to expand their businesses and create jobs for other people.
Mr Kojo Arthur, Principal of Jewellery Design Technology Centre where the training would be done, said it would help to increase productivity and take the industry to a new level.
Mr Richard Prah, Public Relations Officer of the Federation for Ashanti Gold Smith and Jewellery Association, said he has no doubt that the programme would assist to significantly improve the quality of products.
He appealed to the people to patronise made-in-Ghana goods.
Source: GNA