The Second Lady, Mrs Matilda Amissah-Arthur, has charged artisans in the auto repairing industry to embrace knowledge and innovation to improve on their operations.
She said artisans who obtain skills training would be in a better position to detect faults on some of the latest vehicles rather than using the trial and error method to solve problems.
Mrs Amissah-Arthur was speaking at the launch of Skills Development Training on Auto Electronic Diagnostic Testing for artisans in Takoradi, in the Western Region.
The training was initiated by COTVET under the Skills Development Fund (SDF) provided by the World Bank and DANIDA.
It is to build the capacity of artisans in the auto servicing business to enable them to take full control of vehicle-repairs in the country.
Some 1,500 artisans selected from 10 zones in the Western Region are to undergo the 10-day training on modern techniques of detecting faults on vehicles at the Takoradi Polytechnic.
More than GH�830,500 from the SDF has been earmarked for the Auto Electronic Diagnostic Testing course.
Mrs Amissah Arthur charged the beneficiaries to serve as the trainers of other trainers by sharing the knowledge acquired with their peers who could not participate.
She also called for continuous collaboration between the Ghana National Association of Garages (GNAG), and the Takoradi Polytechnic to improve the skills of the artisans and increase their productivity levels.
Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, Western Regional Minister, urged the participants to take the training seriously since the skills training had the potential to reduce unemployment among the youth.
Mr Kwesi Anwuboh, Regional Secretary of GNAG, said artisans would be able to take full control of repairs and maintenance of vehicles as proper diagnostics could be done, following the training.
He said the Association had acquired two acres of land for a training school where the youth and the under-privileged could learn apprenticeship.
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