Master Craft Persons and apprentices in the Volta Region are set to benefit from free formal training in their respective trade areas which will lead to the award of National Proficiency Certificate.

This was revealed at a media launch and contract-signing ceremony between Ho Technical University and the Council for Technical Vocational Education and Training (COTVET).

The skills training programme is being implemented under the Ghana TVET Voucher Project (GTVP), which is a project under Ghanaian-German Financial Cooperation, co-financed by BMZ through KFW and the Government of Ghana. Implementation of the project is done by COTVET with support from PLANCO, an international consulting firm.

Volta Region becomes the fourth region to benefit from this project with more than six hundred beneficiaries already under training in Greater Accra, Ashanti and the Northern Regions.

An estimated 8,000 master craftspersons and apprentices nationwide are expected to benefit from the Ghana TVET Voucher Project by the end of this year.

Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Letsa, at the contract signing and media launch ceremony, said the project was in line with government’s agenda of building an “industrialized nation with well-skilled technicians and artisans to man the wheels of industry”.

He said the project would provide critical middle level manpower for government’s “One District, One Factory” programme and offer vital skills for young people to be independent and create their own jobs.

Dr Letsa said Voltarians were noted to be skilled carpenters, masons, mechanics and electricians among others and was hopeful the project would make them more effective to expand and grow the local economy.

Mr Emmanuel Bekoe, GTVP Voucher Fund Manager, said the intervention was a free package for master craftsmen and apprentices and expressed the hope that it would help reduce youth unemployment.

Mr Divine Kpobee, Regional Coordinator, Ghana Skills Development Initiative, charged trade associations to take advantage of the opportunity and register their members to be certified.

Professor Emmanuel Sakyi, Interim Vice Chancellor, Ho Technical University, said the project was in line with government’s agenda of “Ghana beyond aid” and that the University was happy for the opportunity to work with master craftsmen and apprentices.

He said the University started a similar project in 2015 and said GTVP was an endorsement of the University’s engagement with craft men in the informal sector and commended the partners for the commitment.