The Chairman of the Mfantseman Local Council of Churches, Very Rev. Samuel Boakye Kusi-Appiah, has appealed to parents to enrol their children in technical and vocational schools to equip them with practical skills that will secure their future and improve their employment prospects.
He stressed that acquiring employable skills is becoming increasingly important in today’s competitive job market, adding that technical and vocational education provides young people with opportunities to become self-reliant and financially independent.
Very Rev. Boakye Kusi-Appiah made the call during the opening of a week-long entrepreneurship and skills training programme organised by the Mfantseman Local Council of Churches and the Ebenezer Methodist Church, Mankessim Circuit, in collaboration with U-CAN Naturals.
The initiative aims to empower residents of Mfantseman Municipality with practical vocational skills that can help them establish their own businesses and improve their livelihoods.
The training programme covers a wide range of income-generating skills, including the production of bar and liquid soap, hair food, ointments, hand sanitiser, bread, cakes, shawarma, doughnuts, pancakes, yoghurt, and ice cream. Participants are also receiving training in livestock and agribusiness ventures such as piggery, snail farming, beekeeping, grasscutter rearing and organic farming.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Very Rev. Boakye Kusi-Appiah said that since assuming office, one of the council’s major priorities has been to equip members of the community with practical skills that would enable them to earn a living and reduce unemployment.
He urged parents not to wait until their children perform poorly in the traditional academic system before introducing them to vocational education.
“Technical and vocational education should not be seen as a last resort. Parents must encourage their children to acquire practical skills early because these skills can guarantee them a brighter future,” he said.
He further encouraged young people to embrace entrepreneurship and take advantage of skills training opportunities to become job creators rather than job seekers.
The Chief Executive Officer of U-CAN Naturals, Mrs. Joycelyn Kusi-Appiah, facilitated the first day’s practical sessions, taking participants through the production of bar soap, liquid soap and other household products.
She advised participants to put the knowledge acquired into practice immediately after completing the training instead of delaying their plans to start businesses.
According to her, many successful entrepreneurs began with small capital and gradually expanded through determination, consistency and innovation.
Several participants expressed appreciation to the organisers, describing the programme as timely and beneficial. They said the training had given them practical knowledge and confidence to venture into self-employment.
They also encouraged other residents, especially young people and women, to enrol in future editions of the programme to acquire valuable skills that could improve their economic well-being.
