The Department of Culture, Creative Arts, and Tourism of the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly, in collaboration with the National Service Secretariat (NSS), has organised a skills training workshop for national service personnel in the municipality.
Madam Sandra Boison, the Municipal Director for Culture, Creative Arts, and Tourism, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the training was aimed at equipping national service staff with skills that would help them become self-employed or employable to other organisations.
She noted that the assembly realised that over the period, some service personnel, after completing their one-year service, were unable to get employed, hence the need to teach and train them to acquire some skills to rely on.
She said that it was the second time the department had collaborated with the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) to equip them with skills in detergent making, yoghurt preparation, and beaded slipper making.
Madam Boison also added that, as part of the local economic development (LED) agenda to improve economic growth and development, the assembly, together with some stakeholders, often organised such training for interested personnel and youths in the communities.
“Now it is quite difficult to be employed in the government sector or some organisations, and most people only focus on being employed in the public sector, so we hope that these skill trainings will aid them in becoming self-employed while waiting for other opportunities,” she said.
She urged the youth to develop more interest in skills and entrepreneurship and not to rely on gaining employment in the government sector.
Mr Immanuel Nii-Larte Lartey, the District Manager of the NSS, stated that skills training was the process of acquiring and developing the knowledge, abilities, and competencies necessary to perform a specific job, task, or profession, and it is essential for service personnel to add a skill to their academic work.
Mr Lartey said that skill training was important because it added to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, Target 4.4, which implies that by the year 2030, there should be a substantial increase in the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills for employment, decent jobs, and entrepreneurship.
He said, “Skill training is essential for achieving this goal, as it will enable individuals to acquire the needed skills to access better employment, opportunities, and sustainable development.”
He encouraged them to invest and have an interest in skill training and vocation, as it would yield numerous benefits, drive their personal and professional growth, and lead to success in their ever-evolving work landscape.
Mr Theodore Teidjain, the President of Kpone-Katamanso NASPA, reiterated that the training would help bridge the gap of unemployment in the municipality and also help them to fend for themselves without depending on their parents while waiting to be employed either in the public sector or other institutions.
He also called on the KKMA to set up a financial support programme to helpthose who would want to set up a business of their own but do not have the financial means.
He again encouraged service personnel to learn a trade, vocation, or skill that will position them well and enhance their values in the job market.
GNA
LS/CA
June 16, 2024
Caption: TM057 Skills Training Pic 1, TM057 Skills Training Pic 2,TM057 Skills Training Pic 3
