The First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, says the government is committed to increasing employment opportunities for females. That, she said, would empower women to participate meaningfully in the labour market, making them locally productive and globally competitive.
The First Lady said this at the open day event of the Female Professionals in Electronics (FPE) project funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Samsung Electronics West?Africa and the German Development Agency (GIZ) in partnership with the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET).
Project
The three-year one million euro project is targeted to train 300 girls in electronics with Samsung providing four modern electronics teaching laboratories in the four vocational schools where the projects are being implemented.
Currently, 117 young women are benefiting from the project in the Pentecost Vocational Training Institute (PVTI), Accra Girls Vocational?Institute (AGVI), Don Bosco Vocational Institute – all in the Greater Accra?Region – and CYO Technical Vocational Institute in Sovie, Volta Region.
It is projected that by?the end of the project, women who graduate in electronics will increase from the current two per cent to 30 per cent.
Gender policy
According to the First Lady, the full participation of females in the labour market was of importance to the government, as evident in the National Gender Policy.
She said: “Women as well as men deserve to take up any job and be financially independent”, adding that electronics was important in national development.
Mrs Akufo-Addo commended the Republic of Korea and the Federal Republic of Germany for their numerous support to the country, especially in the area of skills training.
She also commended the COTVET for vigorously pursuing strategies to provide industry demand-driven skills for the youth.
She charged the young girls who were enrolled on the project to be focused and also “explore and enjoy your journey towards a great future”.
Next batch
The team leader of the employment for sustainable deployment programme in Africa, Mr John C. Duti, said the current students taking part in the female in electronic programme would graduate in June 2017.
Subsequently, he said, another batch of 120 females would be enrolled to take part in the project.
He expressed the hope that the beneficiaries would be able to establish their own electronic device installation, repair and services shops and also work in electronic companies.
Apart from the female in electronics project, Mr Duti said more female-focused projects had been designed to ensure women who were in sustainable employment had enhanced income and better conditions of employment by 2019.
Perception
The Korean Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Woon Ki Lyeo, noted that “Even though women have a passion to pursue careers in the electronic field, the area is less attractive to them.”
He expressed the hope that the female in electronic project would encourage and motivate young women and also erase the perception that electronics was for men.
Display
Beneficiaries who have acquired training in electronics since the beginning of the project in 2016 showed off their skills during an exhibition at the Pentecost Vocational Training Institute (PVTI) electronics teaching laboratory.
Some of the students, who have undergone a two months internship programme with electronic companies, were presented with certificates.
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