GNPC Foundation extends scholarship programmes to TVET; sponsors 300 trainees

The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) Foundation, in collaboration with the Aseda Foundation, has trained over three hundred (300) youths in various technical and vocational disciplines.

The trainees were also provided with tools and equipment to start their own trade.

A colourful ceremony was held on Friday, April 26, 2024, in Accra to pass the students and was attended by the Deputy Education Minister and MP for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim-Fordjour, and the Deputy Energy Minister, Herbert Krapah.

In an interview with the press, Omanhene of Sefwi-Wiawso, who is also the President of the National House of Chiefs and the chairman of the GNPC Foundation, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, advised the graduates to try and put to use the skills that they have been endowed with by the two foundations.

He deemed the equipment received by the graduates sufficient, adding that they could operate without physical shops or offices.

“To the graduates, what I can tell them is that the equipment we have given them is enough; many would have loved to be given the same, but we can’t share for all to have some, so the few of them who have been given the little they have had should try and put it to use and desist, saying that they need a shop or store before they can kick off, but even if they have to turn their bed rooms into their place of work, clients will locate and patronise your craft,” he said.

Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II urged parents and Ghanaians to challenge the misconception that technical vocational training is solely for those lacking good academic abilities, stating that this notion has long been discarded.

“That notion has long been changed, and so if there are others who still believe and perceive the same, then they are old folks and have been left behind. We should ensure that our growing children learn a skill or trade. If you are a teacher and close at 2 p.m., you can learn a skill and work with it once you close school. A nurse who also works for 8 to 10 hours can still learn a trade and use it as part-time work, which will give you extra income,” he furthered.

He emphasised the importance of skill development in creating jobs and reducing poverty.

He disclosed that although the Foundation provides scholarships to needy but brilliant Ghanaian students to further their education within and outside Ghana, it has decided to shift focus to helping those in need of skills acquisition, citing successful outcomes experienced by developed countries.

Mr. Dominic Kwesi Duah, the Executive Director of the GNPC organisation, provided additional insight into the proceedings, revealing that the organisation has been actively involved in the formal sector and that 10,191 students have received scholarships from it so far.

According to him, the GNPC Foundation is committed to replicating the same in the informal sector by equipping the youth with skills to live their dreams and cure poverty, with graduates expected to teach others.

“The Board decided to do something similar in the informal sector by way of uplifting these children from the streets, giving them hands-on skills, and then equipping them to start their own lives. I mean, today, they will be here with equipment, and we wish and hope that they will create their own mini enterprises and also help others to come up, so basically, that is what GNPC is doing,” he said.

He said they started this skill development programme; they have already done six regions, thus the Western Region, Western North, Ashanti, Greater Accra, and Eastern Region, and hope to continue to the rest of the regions in the country.

Dr. Duah has also told the graduates not to sell off their equipment, however challenging the trade becomes. He revealed that monitoring systems are in place to track their activities.

“Basically, as far as this programme is concerned, we will advise the beneficiaries to take good care of the equipment; some of them will pick it up, and tomorrow, by way of solving a particular situation, we will try to sell it, but we have a monitoring and evaluation unit that follows up annually, and in case you are found in this situation, you are going to be in trouble. We have engaged them personally, and they know the rules and guidelines, so I’m sure that’s not going to happen,” he explained.

He advised the graduates against refraining from the qualifying examinations, stating that the issue was a major challenge. He noted that about 100 trainees out of the current batch exited the programme when they were about to sit their exams.

The Director General for Ghana TVET Service, Mawusi Nudekor Awity, disclosed that the programme falls within their mandate, hence the need to ensure that there is standardisation in the entire process.

According to her, having this great number trained to become artisans is a strategy to reduce unemployment, adding that the country has all the raw materials, but most times when they are exported, they are not done in the raw state and not after value has been added to them.

She indicated that the government has heavily invested in TVET, with people being empowered to build their capacity for the workforce, both within and outside the country.

Madam Awity also hinted at plans to export some of the trainees to Romania and other countries, potentially earning foreign currency for the country.

The board chairman for GNPC, Hon. Frederick Worsemawu Armah Blay, said that the sponsorship is meant to help the beneficiaries cater for themselves financially, admonishing Ghanaians who are unemployed to take advantage of the next enrolment by reaching out to the MMDCEs.