The Amoah Laboratory of the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research (NMIMR) at the University of Ghana Legon has handed over a newly constructed Vocational Training Centre to Simiw, a community in the KEEA Municipality in the Central Region.
The construction of the Vocational Training Centre followed a malaria research the Amoah Laboratory conducted at Simiw.
The facility which was funded through a collaboration between the Amoah Laboratory and donations from philanthropists is to train JHS leavers who are not able to further their education.
Professor Linda Eva Amoah who led the malaria research and spearheaded the project spoke to ATL FM NEWS at the sidelines of a ceremony that was held to officially inaugurate and hand over the facility.
She explained that the inspiration behind the project was to ensure the JHS leavers find something meaningful to do.
She said “They don’t go to SSS. And so they are just loitering about. So we’re like we need to do something to help them. So we decided that at least we can get them to learn how to sew or learn a trade, learn how to do hair. It shouldn’t cost too much. It’s just a little foundation and that gets them going.”
Professor Linda Amoah said it is their hope that in the near future, they will beef up the facility with the needed resources as well as get the trainees good teachers to guide them into becoming professionals in the vocations they choose.
The Vocational Training Centre is made up of three rooms which include a room for training in fashion design, a room for training in hairdressing, and an office for trainers and facilitators. The rooms are furnished with sewing machines, hair dryers as well as tables and chairs respectively.
According to Professor Linda Amoah who is also an Associate Professor at the Immunology Department of the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research, it is the hope of her team to get the facility to the status of a vocational institute soon.
“We are hoping that it won’t be just a Madame Apprentice event. We’re hoping to get it into the status of an ultra-modern vacation institute. So with the Tvets we will try and get this place registered. Then once that happens then it will be under the umbrella of TVET and when that happens then it is an official institute. They’ll be taught some basic maths and English and then they’ll get examined, they get certificates and it would be like going to a regular vocational institute.” She continued.
On his part, the Chief of Simiw, Nana Omanano II expressed the community’s utmost appreciation to Professor Linda Amoah and her team for the kind gesture shown to the community.
He, therefore, urged parents to take advantage of the opportunity presented to them and allow their wards who are not able to further their education after JHS to avail themselves to be trained in a vocation.
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Source: Rosemond Asmah/ATLFMNEWS
