African Centre for Technical Training (ACTT), a technical/vocational skills training and development institute in Ghana, announced today that it has received a grant from Unorthodox Philanthropy (UP), a charitable organisation focused on identifying great people and supporting innovative and globally impactful initiatives.

The Founder, Penelope Brooke Thompson, was awarded as an Extraordinary Leader Transforming a Field. This comes shortly after she was named one of 100 Most Impactful Change Makers in Ghana by Humanitarian Awards Global.

The funding will support ACTT’s goal and mission of empowering artisans by continuously providing world-class, demand-driven, hands-on training and the 21st century business skills required to power Africa’s industrial transformation.

ACTT aims to help bridge the technical skills gap in the industry by offering a range of high-quality technical and vocational training programs to certify artisans, mentoring and support services, and access to job placement opportunities.

“My team and I are incredibly honoured and grateful for the support we have received from UP. This represents a major breakthrough for us, and will help us achieve our next milestones. But more importantly, we appreciate having UP in our corner because beyond the funding, they care about our success, and scaling intended impact across Africa. There are many great opportunities in TVET, and we believe that with the right partnerships we will be able to impact thousands of lives.” – Penelope Brooke Thompson.

Unorthodox Philanthropy has a history of supporting innovative and impactful initiatives that create large-scale improvements in human welfare in various sectors. The partnership with ACTT reflects its commitment to promoting economic empowerment and sustainable development across the globe.

“Last year, Unorthodox Philanthropy launched a global search to identify extraordinary leaders that have a unique vision, a strong entrepreneurial nature, and an outsized ambition, passion, and commitment to transform a field. UP is thrilled to be supporting Penelope on her journey to build the next generation technical and vocational training institute for artisans across the African continent.” – Katherine Clements.

About ACTT

ACTT was founded in 2022 to reimagine technical and vocational education and training, and create sustainable, alternative pathways for young people to be gainfully employed. We are rolling out a number of construction related programs starting with Plumbing Systems Design in September this year in Accra, Ghana. Senior high school graduates, unemployed university graduates, early school dropouts and artisans (both masters and apprentices) are all encouraged to apply by visiting our website www.actt.edu.gh or calling +233 256556344 for assistance.