One hundred Artisans selected from Obuasi and its surrounding districts have been matriculated to undergo a six-month Skills Development and Certification Programme.
The programme comes under AGA’s Artisan Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship Initiative.
Mr. Eric Broni, Senior Manager Engineering, AGA, explained that the Skills Development and Certification Programme came about following a needs and gap analysis that was conducted and showed that most Artisans lacked the key certifications to validate their skills.
He pointed out that this gap not only limits their opportunities to secure competitive contracts, but also constraints their earning potential.
“As a responsible mining company seeking to positively impact the communities in which we operate, we have a duty to ensure that Artisans possess the right certifications to protect themselves and those they serve,” Mr. Broni said.
The six-month Skills Development and Certification Programme, he stated, aims at providing Technical and Vocational Skills Certification, in collaboration with institutions like the National Vocational and Technical Institute (NVTI) and the Energy Commission for Artisans.
The Obuasi West Municipal Director of Youth Employment Agency, Mr. Francis Nartey, on his part, expressed appreciation to AGA for the opportunity given to the Artisans to get hooked to the Skilled Development and Certification Programme.
He urged the company to help absorb some of them after the Certification programme. Mr. Nartey also entreated the Artisans to be serious with their training and also obey instructions from their trainers.
From Frederick Danso Abeam, Obuasi
