Feature: China funded vocational training facility helps alleviate unemployment in Ghana

The 20-year-old Vivian Awuku is apparent now an expert in using sewing machines, with her fingers flipping deftly from the machine to the piece of cloth on it.

She is a student studying Final Fashion Designing (dress-making) at the New Century Career Training Institute in Accra, Ghana.

"This school has helped me a lot in such a way that when I compare myself to my elder sister who completed senior high school who is still in the house without work, but me, even though I am not done, I can work. I can sew for people and get money. I am delighted," said Awuku in a recent interview with Xinhua.

According to data from the World Bank, unemployment rate among population between 16 to 25 in Ghana stands as high as 65 percent due to shrinking economic growth in the West African country for past years.

However, unemployment seems alien to people who have accepted skill training.

"We have some who have established their own businesses and we have some who are also continuing with their education. There are times that we have had organizations requesting for graduates for employment and we find it difficult getting some of them," Institute Manager, Lydia Duvor told media during a tour to the institute.

"I can confidently talk about dressmaking for instance that organizations were looking for trainees that have graduated so that they can employ them. But they were into their own businesses and they were not ready to work for others," she added.

The New Century Career Training Institute was established in the year 2000 with support from the Chinese government with an eight unit classroom building, four workshops and offices.

In November last year, the Chinese government added one new structure to the institute, an 18-classroom block with offices and modern facilities. Another block is also constructed with Chinese funds for the adjoining basic school, Dansoman Community Basic School.

The institute offered skills training to thousands of youth over its 15 years of existence under the National Vocational Training Institute and the National Board for Professional and Technical Examination.

There are 10 programs from which a student may choose. These include Air Condition and Refrigeration, Plumbing, Leather Works, Carpentry and Joinery, Dressmaking, Catering, Electronics, General Electrical, Computer Hardware and Architectural Drawing.

The institute has also introduced Health Care as a new program which trains people in basic health service delivery to take care of the aged, children, destitute among others.

"We call this block the old China block and when this was established you could see that the classrooms were for theory training and so the school lacked workshops for training," said Duvor, pointing to the building funded by Chinese government 15 years ago.

"But now with the new block, we have separated the theory classrooms from the practicals classrooms," Duvor said.

The Manager expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for the kind gesture, as the school is making very good use of the facility.

"The serene environment we have in the new building; the nice infrastructure and fully equipped rooms has impacted so much that you can't even use words to explain. It has made learning efficient." 19-year-old Abdul Semihu Ankrah, final year Electrical student told Xinhua.

During the commissioning of the new building last November, a highly impressed Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama said "this is what we call integrated education."

"And so a child can start from kindergarten at the Dansoman School Complex, and finally come out of vocational or technical school with the skills to go into the world of work. This, indeed, is a center of excellence," Mahama said. Endi