Students from the Dabokpa Technical Institute (DTI) Tamale in the Northern Region have visited the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) to seek practical exposure to some of the theoretical concepts they had learned.
They were second-year students specialising in Automotive Engineering and Small Engines Repair. Accordingly, Lecturers and Technicians of the University took advantage of their October 19, 2021, educational trip to AAMUSTED to give them hands-on training and extensive exposure to the practical workings of various machines and models relevant to their specialisations.
For instance, Technicians at the University’s Automotive Engineering Workshop, enlightened the students on the Steering and Suspension Models, the Spark Ignition Engine Model, Compression Ignition Engine Model, Fuel Supply System, Charging System, the Breaking System, and the Transmission System. They also had hands-on experience with the 3D Wheel Alignment System, Computerised Wheel Balancer, Pneumatic Tyre Changer, and a Light Vehicle for Exhaust Gas Analysis.
Technicians at the Mechanical Engineering Workshop introduced the students to TIG Welding, MIG Welding, and Resistant Welding, as well as Cutting processes in a Welding Shop, Hydraulic Shears, Guillotine Machine, Manual Milling Machine, Shaping Machine, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Lathe Machine, and the CNC Milling Machine.
To crown the day’s activities, the Industrial Liaison Unit of AAMUSTED conducted the students around other facilities and installations in the University.
The Head of the Automotive Department of DTI, Mr. Martin Adongo Awane, who led the DTI team to AAMUSTED, indicated his unrestrained gratitude to AAMUSTED for the warm reception and the exposure of the University’s facilities to the students.
“We teach our students theories and abstracts, which make understanding very difficult for them. The exposure we have had here today is a giant stride in our efforts to prepare these students for examinations and their future endeavours. We hope that eventually, we shall acquire some of these technologies to facilitate teaching and learning,” he said.
Mr. Awane said the DTI Management was working to create well-equipped work stations to boost practical learning and in that regard, appealed for support from public-spirited individuals and organisations.
The students were happy about the visit to AAMUSTED. They indicated optimism about their chances in the impending West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) after receiving practical training on the theories they had learned.
One of them, Miss Salamatu Yabdoo, said that the knowledge gained from the trip had enhanced her understanding of things taught in class. Even though she acknowledged the male dominance in the engineering field, she was upbeat to succeed in the area to encourage other females.
The AAMUSTED Management held a brief ceremony to welcome the DTI team before allowing relevant experts to lead the guests to the University workshops and laboratories.
At that brief session, the Head of University Relations, Mr. Michael Kofi Twum-Ampomah, gave the students the background information regarding the establishment of AAMUSTED. He assured them that the University was the best for them to select for their tertiary education.
For his part, the Head of Academic Affairs of the University, Dr. Charles Baba Campion, said AAMUSTED offered about 98 programs currently. Moreover, he said, the Management was soon to introduce more of them as part of plans to expand the University and enhance its image.
Also accompanying the students to AAMUSTED were Madam Emelia Chibelitu and Mr. Nassam Zulkalenu, both teachers of DTI.
