The youth have been urged to take an interest in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes since it has the potential to guarantee employment after graduation.

Head of the Centre for Empowerment and Enterprise Development, Mawulorm Gbekor, gave the advice during the graduation ceremony for the first batch of graduates of the International Needs Vocational Training Centre at Adidome in the Volta Region.

She noted that it is important for the young ones, especially ladies, to take advantage of the government's investment in TVET education to build themselves into great assets for the development of the country.

She said that the future of the nation lies on the shoulders of technical and vocational education and its products; hence, the need to work hard to justify the investments made.

Mrs Gbekor noted that the NGO trains female students in the various vocational fields, which ensures they become skilled and confident.

She added that the institution has trained hundreds of female students since its inception in the area.

“We train young ladies in the areas of fashion, hospitality and cosmetology. We train them for industry, and then we also train them to be skilled and proficient in whichever areas they find themselves. We have churned out a lot of these ladies, approximately over 1,000 of them, most of them have industries.

"Some have become big entrepreneurs and are also impacting lives out there. I want to encourage our young ladies to venture into TVET education because it is the way to go. We see that you can do everything anything at any time and the sky is actually your limits,“ she said.

The Business Development and Communication Officer of International Needs Ghana, Joseph Gordon Mensah, who read a speech on behalf of the Executive Director noted that the training the graduates have benefited from has placed them at an advantage.

He added that the apprentices will also benefit greatly from the new skills acquired by them within a short period of time.

Mr Mensah noted that just being a master craft person in their respective areas is not the goal but rather the beginning of a journey that must be taken seriously.

“This graduation should serve as a launching point, projecting you to wherever your future is meant to take you and whatever you continue as master craft persons working assiduously in your various fields of study and impacting knowledge and skills to the next generation,“ he said.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Central Tongu, Thomas Moore Zonyrah, said technical and vocational education would help harmonise the implementation and supervision of quality TVET delivery in Ghana and also provide functional TVET skills development system to improve productivity and competitiveness of the country’s skilled workforce.

He added that the Central Tongu District has been plagued with the undesirable issue of teenage pregnancy.

The DCE urged parents and guardians to do their best and provide for the needs of their children, especially the girls.

The CBT team lead at International Needs Ghana, the Centre for Empowerment and Enterprise Development [CEED] in the district is now operating under the Ghana TVET Service.

Two men in the all-female-dominated vocation of fashion and cosmetology were excited about the programme and urged the young ones to take up technical and vocational education seriously.

For many years, International Needs Ghana has made great strides in reaching many communities in Ghana with various developmental projects, bringing hope to many individuals and families by providing skills and empowering the most vulnerable to make the most of the little they have.