Support us to expand our free NVTI programme - Government urged

Government has been urged to support and collaborate with non-profit agencies and other stakeholders in order to create more vocational and technical training centres across the country.

The appeal is being made by the Helpers Charity African foundation, operators of the Midas Skills Development and Vocational Training Centre.

Since its inception in 2018 the Midas Centre has been giving free training in fashion design amongst other courses to less privileged youth in 31 remote villages with the aim of enhancing their economic opportunities as well as make them responsible adults.

The Foundation says although its skills training program has yielded positive results it is handicapper in a number of areas and will therefore need the support of government and other stakeholders to expand its program.

Director and chief executive of the institute Johson Sowu told the media on the sidelines of a fashion and exhibition program that “We don't have enough accommodation so we would like to have accommodation for our student. We would also like to have a classroom bloc for the student because the numbers are increasing, currently, we have 58 students. So we will really, really, really love to have a school classroom block and we don't have a Cutting Room and after that, we also need machines for the student, that would be very good."

He added “I want to tell the government that we can still invest into skilled and vocational training Invitational training, Focus has shifted. We need more skilled workers. So if we need more skilled workers, we need have to train them and in training and we are training most of them so we would like government to invest into this. We are open to more partnership and we are also open to more students to come and when we take people from the street It takes pressure from the government based on that, we need Partnerships for people to come and invest into this skill development training.”

An official from the Gender Department of the Volta region Esther Hammond also noted that the Gender Department has always Advocated for the Empowerment of young girls to be able to be resourceful and to be economically independent a situation which will reduce all forms abuse including sexual exploitation.

“This training will help them to stick to something. Our focus here is to be resourceful in the future so they wouldn't end up in the street, like, going to maybe a male or any man for financial support. So, we need them to learn more of these things equip themselves more so that they would be resourceful. As what has the exhibited at the show, we have shown that these young ones are really learning a lot and have a brighter future” she said.

Midas as a skill development centre is believed to have been inspired by the chairperson of the institute and founder of faith in God assembly, Rev. Dr. Francis Sowu who started to spread the gospel to communities within the Volta region and realized there were people in those communities who needed help.

Rev. Francis Sowu who was present at the exhibition centre called for more from government to provide skills training for the youth and to cater for the vulnerable in society