An ultramodern multi-purpose engineering workshop to offer commercial services to the public and enhance the study of engineering programmes has been commissioned at the Bolgatanga Technical University in the Upper East Region.
The facility has been installed with the state-of-the-art equipment to promote and provide mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, automobile engineering, welding and fabrication and civil engineering services.
It was built by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC International) and funded by the government of Ghana through the Sino-hydro project.
It was part of the efforts of government to retool some Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions across the country, to play critical role in providing hands on training to Ghanaian youth to reduce unemployment.
Speaking at the commissioning of the multipurpose laboratory at Sumbrungu, Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Upper East Regional Minister, commended government for the project and hoped that it would equip students with practical knowledge to drive the various industries and make a positive impact in society.
He said the world was evolving and making a paradigm shift to entrepreneurship to create jobs and reduce the menace of unemployment and government was committed to employing TVET to drive the growth and development of the economy.
“We have had Independence for over 60 years and have been practicing something that we are not developing enough, and the government is thinking outside the box, figuring out what they can do new to propel our beloved country to grow faster and we know and hope that this will cut across all the technical universities in the country,” he said.
Professor Samuel Erasmus Alnaa, Vice Chancellor, Bolgatanga Technical University, noted that the facility which would be providing commercial services to the public would enhance the practical training of the engineering programmes in the university.
This, he said, would help to equip the students to be result oriented and problem-solving graduates to start their own businesses or be ready for the job market to help reduce unemployment.
“This facility is supposed to aid in the teaching and learning of our students to enhance their skills so that they reduce the level of unemployment in this country,” he added.
He said as part of the project some staff of the university received training at the University of Cape Coast to enable them to effectively impart knowledge to the students.
However, he said, the facility could not contain all the equipment and the University which was already in dire need of lecture halls had to give out 10 lecture rooms for the electronic/electrical equipment to be installed for teaching and learning.
He said “we have been making the appeal for this lecture theatre since 2017 and we have discussed this issue with our dear President of the Republic himself however, no help is in sight.
“We are therefore appealing to our President to as a matter of urgency come to our aid and expedite action on this request for a lecture theatre complex as this situation is fast suffocating the growth of this young University.”