Special Initiatives Minister urges Wa Technical Institute to enrol more girls as EU-backed solar training lab opens

Minister of State in charge of Special Initiatives at the Office of the President, Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, has urged Wa Technical Institute to increase the enrolment of girls in renewable energy programmes, saying Ghana’s transition to green technology must create opportunities for both women and men.

He made the call at the launch of a solar photovoltaic (PV) training facility at the institute, established under the EU-Ghana Pact for Skills to strengthen practical training and prepare young people for jobs in the green economy.

The €17 million initiative, implemented by the European Union, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Ghana TVET Service, seeks to bridge the gap between classroom instruction and practical skills development.

Dr Pelpuo said the opening of the facility should be judged not only by the equipment installed but also by the quality of training students receive, their competence after graduation and their ability to secure decent work.

“We are not simply opening a facility, commissioning equipment. We are strengthening the link between technical education, the green transition and the opportunity for decent work,” he said.

“The real test will not be what we see at the ceremony, but what follows. That is the quality of training provided, the competence of graduates, the services they provide and the opportunities they are able to access.”

Call for more women in renewable energy

Dr Pelpuo said women and girls must not be excluded from the opportunities emerging in renewable energy because technical trades have traditionally been dominated by men.

“New technologies, especially green technology taking over the world, must involve the female as much as the male,” he said.

He encouraged the institute and its partners to take deliberate steps to increase female participation in renewable energy training through targeted outreach, career guidance and an inclusive learning environment.

“Solar PV offers meaningful opportunities for women to develop technical competence, build careers and establish enterprises,” he said.

“Green skills must be inclusive skills. A stronger skills system identifies talents, develops it and gives every capable person a fair opportunity to be productive.”

From classroom theory to practical training

The new facility is expected to give students access to solar PV equipment for practical instruction in site assessment, installation, safety standards, performance testing, maintenance and troubleshooting.

The institute’s Principal, Seidu Saaka Adams, said the facility would address a longstanding gap in the teaching of solar technology.

“For a long time, we were teaching solar with no solar equipment. This lab changes everything,” he said.

“Imagination alone cannot make a technician. You must see, you must touch, and you must do.”

The facility also includes training for instructors, improved connectivity to support blended learning and activities aimed at integrating environmental sustainability into technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

EU and ILO stress investment in people

EU Team Leader for the Pact for Skills, Gisela Spreitzhofer, said the project formed part of a broader €17 million investment intended to help create green and digital jobs for young people in Ghana.

ILO Country Director for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Dr Vanessa Phala-Moyo, said the success of the initiative would depend on more than the provision of equipment.

“Equipment is only an enabler. What we have here is a complete, comprehensive value chain,” she said, citing the combination of modern solar PV equipment, curriculum support, instructor development, practical installation, digital connectivity and greener TVET delivery.

“Technology must go hand in hand with investment in people,” she added.

Dr Pelpuo called for the institute and its partners to monitor how effectively the facility is used and whether the training meets the needs of employers.

He said underused equipment should prompt action to address barriers, while difficulties faced by graduates in finding work should lead to a review of the relationship between training and labour-market demand.

He added that emerging skills requirements should inform curriculum development and instructor training.

The facility is expected to strengthen practical solar training at Wa Technical Institute as demand grows for renewable energy skills among households, businesses and public institutions adopting solar technology.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.