The machines would enable the learners to effectively work on their ideas and concepts, design and develop prototypes, and also ensure products developed were precise and met the requirements of industry and consumers.

Speaking at the commissioning in Accra, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DTI, Ms Constance Swaniker, said the equipment would help position and equip young people with the requisite skills needed to create value and secure better jobs in the future.

She urged the industry to collaborate with Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions such as DTI in order to develop products that were relevant for them.

“We are open to work closely with industry to champion a cause aimed at developing prototypes and products that will address the needs of industry whiles creating jobs for the youth,” she stated.

The workshop manager at DTI, Mr Isaac Tetteh, said the equipment were procured to give exposure to learners and equip them in the field of work.

He said it would also help learners in the Precision Quality training which would enable them gain relevant industry skills and adhere to global industry standards when they graduate to enter the world of work.

Mr Tetteh maintained that for government to take over TVET, it was necessary to invest more into it to reduce the youth unemployment situation in the country.

 “TVET is expensive, especially for welding and fabrication and the resources put together, especially the consumables, materials, plates and pipes you need to buy for the students, and sometimes it’s annoying because in the training process you don’t see something tangible, that they are building stuff, we are just cutting pieces of metal for them to weld, you don’t actually see the productivity in that but at the end of the day that is what gives them the skills that is required for industries,” he added.

Mr Tetteh also called for more commitment from technical and vocational schools and their managements to provide necessary training materials for learners to be able to get the skills that were required for the industry.

The events were attended by the DTI Board Member, Ms Amy Fafa Awoonor, some representatives from the Ghana TVET Service, CTVET, Ghana Standards Authority, Financial institutions, academia, industry experts, learners, and young entrepreneurs.

BY VIVIAN ARTHUR