Twelve welders from the Takoradi Kokompe; an artisanal garage enclave in the Western Region, have been rolled unto a skill training programme sponsored by Greenline Logistics, a Ghanaian Oil, and Gas, mining service provider.
The training forms part of the corporate social responsibility initiative at Takoradi Technical Institute.
The programme seeks to upgrade their welding skills to meet the standards preferred by the oil and gas industry.
The Corporate Social Investment Skills Programme that these welders are benefiting from is a 20-day innovative and pioneering TVET programme that the Western Region Coastal Foundation.
An innovative entity that convenes and encourages an active dialogue between oil and gas, power companies as well as other extractive industry actors in the six coastal districts of the Western Region, has designed for companies interested in making skills development a corporate social responsibility project.
The idea was adopted by Greenline logistics to bridge the skills gap among skilled workers or artisans in their host communities and beyond.
The selected welders will go through basic welding theory and practical training lessons in basic shield and metal arc welding (SMAW), basic gas metal arc welding (GMAW), basic oxy-fuel cutting, and introduction to gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW).
Speaking to Citi News, the Welding Instructor for the Skills Programme Ron Nickel explained that the training has become so necessary because, “currently, most of the Kokompe artisans have only worked with the 6013 welding electrode, which is outdated and not an industry approved electrode. This WRCF seeded Technical Centre of Excellence is exposing them to current electrodes like the 7018. Since this training is competency based, a trainee will only pass and move on to the next level if they pass the basics”.
The Chief Executive Officer for Greenline Logistics, Soraya Anglow is of the firm belief that such training will help get many people in the region to qualify for job opportunities on the market.
She told Citi News that “we have had situations where our artisans in the metropolitan area have been denied employment because they lack the skills necessary to make them employable in the Mining and Oil and Gas sector both in Ghana and other parts of the world, especially in the West African sub-region. This training and skills upgrade will provide the basics needed to assist the artisans and make them more ready for the available jobs in the industry.”
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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citinewsroom.com/Ghana