23 vocational students pass out

Page 22, March 29, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE first batch of 23 students of the Pro-Link Vocational Institute at Danfa in the Ga East District of the Greater Accra Region, has passed out.
The institute was established by Pro-Link, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to the improving the lives of the needy.
Currently, it is training its students in hairdressing, dressmaking, carpentry, electrical installation, masonry and catering.
In an address read on his behalf, the Ga East Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Kofi Alottey, noted that but for the institute, the youth in the area might have fallen prey to teenage pregnancy, rural-urban drift, armed robbery and other social vices due to the adage that “the devil finds work for the idle hands”.
He, therefore, asked the youth to take advantage of the institute, which was close to their doorsteps, to acquire employable skills to enable them to be self-sufficient.
“These graduands, having acquired skills, will provide services to the society and thereby contribute to national development,” he said.
Mr Alottey advised the graduands to realise the investments that had been made in them and challenged them to be innovative and creative in employing strategies that would enable them to provide services to generate sufficient income to support themselves, as well as their families.
He acknowledged the help offered by Tools for Self-Reliance, a United Kingdom (UK) based NGO, which had provided kits for the institute.
Mr Alottey commended Pro-Link for establishing the institute and described the gesture as a timely intervention to provide employment for the youth in the area.
The Ga East Municipal Director of Education, Mrs Emma Baaba Quarcoe, commended Pro-Link’s efforts.
He called on chiefs and parents in the area to co-operate fully with the NGO to ensure the training of more youth.
The Executive Director of Pro-Link, Ms Bernice Heloo, said the NGO would continue to train the youth in acquiring skills to reduce the unemployment rate in the country.
The UK NGO, Tools for Self-Reliance, provided the graduands, who specialised in dressmaking, carpentry and joinery and electrical installation, with start-up tools, while Pro-Link gave kits to those who specialised in hairdressing to enable them to start their businesses.

Picture: Some of the graduands in a pose after the graduation ceremony.