Many youth may have to consider using their God-given talents by developing their technical and vocational skills and aligning it with the trending business and technologically skills. A Business Consultant, Mrs Victoria Tuffuor Oteng who noted this also said vocational and technical skills in the country and the world at large has become competitive as most youth are now seeing the benefits of the sector.
She said due to the increasing interest of the youth in the vocational and technical skills, it has become incumbent to incorporate technologically skills to become competitive and avoid facing out. She said despite the challenges in the world with the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still many opportunities for those with vocational and technical skills.
Mrs Tuffuor Oteng, who is also a Rural Development and Food Security Expert was speaking in an interview with this reporter on the side-line of a week’s National Vocational Skills Business and Start-up Conference organised by the Compassion International Ghana and facilitated by the African Entrepreneurship School. The Conference is aimed at equipping some 110 youths with business and entrepreneurship skills and supported with capital to launch out.
She noted that more of such competition should even be expected because we have more of our young people are also coming into the business world and they are going to fiercely compete with the existing business. The business consultant said for the new breed of entrepreneurs to catch up with the fast changing space in the global economy, they needed to be equipped with the required business advisory services.
Mrs Tuffuor Oteng said: “if they get the opportunity to be mentored and coached on business ethics, the nitty gritty of business operations, and when they come to terms with the business reality,” they will avoid applying their vocational and technical skills the traditional way and stake to the new dimensions. She added that the emerging entrepreneurs needed to be fully equipped to leverage cheap but most effective technology like Whatsapp and Instagram to market their products.
She said social media marketing is prevalent and effective because we now live in a world where most things are done on the mobile phone. This prompts why the participants are keenly being taken through the processes or merging to get to the same level with the existing entrepreneurs in the vocational technical skills sector. This, she said, is the reason why the participants were being taken through immense training so they come out to compete and win in the market.
Mrs Tuffuor Oteng said initially, the youth from infancy were swayed to believe that going to the University was the only way to make life better but time has proven that notion to be wrong. Although formal education was good, without vocational and technical skills, it would only result in increasing the unemployment rate in the country.
It is hence refreshing when youth decides to go into vocational or technical skills training because that person has set out to use his natural talents by learning both theories and practical. “When you get the skills without being employed by somebody, with small capital or with a little asset, you can start a business.
