The Chief Executive Officer of Barshok 10 Tyre Safety Service, Chief Basiru Karim Bukorba, has launched first ever Vulcanizing Training Institute in Ghana.
Bukorba Vulcanizing Training Institute (BVTI) is affiliated to National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) and Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) formally called COTVET.
Addressing the participants, Chief Basiru Karim stated that the training Institute has eight (8) vulcanizing garages in Accra metropolis, one in Tema and one in Ashanti Region for practical training.
This training program, he said, is carefully crafted for one year geared towards National Vocational Training Institute (N.V.T.I) Proficiency one and two certificates.
He added that each training phase would be done with both theoretical and practical training on Tyre Servicing, Braking System Servicing, Suspension System Maintenance and Car Diagnosis Principles with intensive workshop demonstrations.
According to him the training of 80% practical and 20% theory would equip trainees with the requisite knowledge adequately for the job market.
He revealed that the training Institute has been providing training for reputable companies and individuals in Ghana for the past five (5) years and have over the past ten (10) years trained about 800 Vulcanizers who are currently employed in Tyre Service Centers across the country.
Cataloguing some challenges facing the TVET service in the country, the advisor to the institute Mr. Norbert Ayamga, implore those who had perception in the past and now in TVET- that it is meant for those who are not intelligent or smart enough to go through formal education in Ghana or acquire more degrees in their field of profession to rethink.
“In-fact it is not true that those who pursue their education or profession or trade in TVET are not smart or intelligent”, he said.
He said TVET trainees or persons use all their psychomotor skills and knowledge to develop themselves better and come out with more innovation in their chosen career.
“TVET funding is a challenge and many people cannot afford to go through the training to acquire the needed skills” he noted.
Growing unemployment, he revealed that is due to mismatch between demand and supply of skills and called on government to subsidise TVET adding that TVET fund should be set by government for people who are willing to enroll.
He called on Philanthropist and NGOs to also help the youth who are interested in the TVET training and urge parents to encourage their children to participate in TVET training to reduce unemployment and social vises.
On his part, a representative from NVTI, Mr. George Oduro, stated that another important characteristic of TVET is its delivery at different levels of sophistication.
“This means that TVET can respond, not only to the needs of different types of industries, but also to the different training needs of learners from different socio-economic and academic backgrounds and prepare them for gainful employment and sustainable livelihoods,” he noted.
According to him the skilled workforce is a basic requirement for driving the engine of industrial and economic growth, and NVTI holds the key to building this type of technical and entrepreneurial workforce.