Design and Technology Institute (DTI), a privately accredited Technical and Vocational Education Training Institute (TVET), has trained over 800 Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and artisans in Kumasi on Precision Quality (PQ).
This is to help equip them with knowledge to improve their service and product delivery to enhance their income levels to grow the national economy.
The training forms part of DTI’s collaborative strategy to work with stakeholders on the ‘Transforming youth TVET livelihood for sustainable jobs’ project, in partnership with Mastercard Foundation’s ‘Young Africa Works Strategy’ which seeks to enable 30 million young people, particularly women, to access dignified and fulfilling work opportunities by 2030.
Usually, such training is done in seminar forms; however, DTI, for this training, used stage drama to sink home the features which can help them to achieve PQ on their jobs.
The current drama series-based training seeks to create 40,000 direct and indirect work opportunities for the youth, especially young women, through TVET in Ghana.
The drama-cum-educational piece titled: ‘Joe Sharp’ mirrors the lives, work, successes and failures of master crafts persons, their relationship with customers and how they can enhance it through the application of precision principles.
Precision Quality edutainment training is a unique way of training informal sector operators who have immense skills and potential but require refinement to churn out quality products and services.
Through the drama series, DTI expects to improve the work skills and practices of 5,000 master crafts persons and 1,000 SMEs. The training forms part of DTI’s strategy to work with key stakeholders to enable three million young people, particularly women, to access dignified and fulfilling work opportunities by 2030 using a multiplier approach
Artisans were encouraged to draft mission statements, know their vision and also have core values that will guide them in their work.
Project Coordinator for DTI, Kwame Oppong Peprah, in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the event, noted that the attitude of traders and artisans in the country is not one that can help them reach larger markets.
“Over the years, we have observed that as Ghanaians, we don’t take quality for anything and because of that we lose value in everything we do. So, DTI has set upon itself to tell Ghanaians that it pays to attach a little quality to the things that we do.
“We may have all the hard skills to do the things but we need to have a mindset change when it comes to issues of precision and quality.
“What we have come to tell them is that there is need for a change of mindset; there is need for us to attach importance to the things that bring quality into our work space. It would improve their market. This training will help them position themselves properly in the ecosystem, Mr. Peprah noted.
Leadership of the various artisanal associations at the training session who spoke to the B&FT expressed appreciation to DTI for the training. They further gave the assurance that their members will use the lessons derived to improve on their work.
