Seventy-three (73) young ladies with poor financial backgrounds have started a six-month training in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Welding and Fabrication at the Akenten Appiah-Menkah University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) as part of a collaborative effort to empower them for economic freedom.
AAMUSTED is collaborating with the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry (GCCI) and the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), with funding from Global Affairs Canada, to undertake the scholarship programme dubbed Invest in Her.
Two cohorts comprising 67 young females have already received training at AAMUSTED under the programme. The programme seeks to empower marginalized girls in male-dominated trade areas, including electrical and electronics, automotive, construction, ICT, etc.
About 59 members of the current cohort have opted for ICT, and they would receive training in computer hardware, Networking, and Programming. The remaining 14 would undergo training in the Welding and Fabrication Programme.
In brief welcome remarks by the Registrar of AAMUSTED, Mr. Augustus Kwaw Brew, at an orientation organized for the beneficiaries on April 18, 2024, the Registrar appealed to the girls to take advantage of the opportunity to acquire an important skill for life.
“In the next six months, open your heart, your eyes, and your ears to acquire enough competency in your areas of training to brighten your future,” he stressed, adding that AAMUSTED would be proud to see them make it in life as a result of the training.
He recalled the hard work of the immediate past cohort, who used some of their practical sessions to build beds for use in the University’s Halls of Residence and repair some broken-down chairs for the University.
The Dean of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) of AAMUSTED, Prof. Humphrey Danso, emphasized the practical and demanding nature of the programme and encouraged them to commit themselves fully so they did not succumb to the pressure and abandon the training along the line.
He encouraged them to learn hard and become adept in their respective training so the six months would not become a waste of time.
Among other speakers at the Orientation were Dr. William Asiedu, the Head of the Department of Information Technology Education, and Dr. Kwabena Offeh Gyimah, Head of Department of Mechanical and Automotive Technology Education.
