21 youths receive certificates on IT skills

Twenty-one young people at the weekend were certificated on Information Technology basic skills after completing a three-month intensive training at the Janjangbureh Training Centre, Central River Region south.

According to the training officials, the students were taken through both the practical and theoretical aspects of the course, with assessments to ensure quality assurance.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony held at the regional governor’s bantaba, Omar Manjang, a representative from the National Training Authority (NTA), said the quality assurance framework developed by his office is in response to the immediate labour market need of skills to improve productivity and competiveness in all sectors.

He said that the human resource is a critical factor for successful integration of skills development into the national employment and development strategies.

Manjang stated that it is a demand-driven system for continuous improvement of technical education and vocational training (TVET) to deliver both qualitative and quantitative skills, thus strengthening training providers’ capacities in The Gambia.

He noted that the Janjangbureh Training Centre is in compliance with registration and accreditation standards developed and has been fully registered and accredited for a period of three years.

The centre has gone through the standards like any other registered accredited training providers that have fulfilled the standards of requirements.

For his part, Musa Jobarteh, director of the Centre, said the institution used to be called Gamspadd Training Centre, which has now been changed to Janjangbureh Training Centre (JTC).

“This centre grew up out of a donor funded training project which started in 1994 by the United States Peace Corps,” he said.

The centre has produced many graduates on different areas of skills including tie and dye, batik, among others.

Jobarteh said the institute had invested a lot in improving the lives of the youths and women in life skills.

He noted that their mission is to provide a conducive learning environment for skills acquisition for potential school leaders and those wanting to have a career in information technology.

He also said parents and sponsors of the students are at liberty to visit the office during working hours, to address concerns or for information about the courses and other areas of interests related to the centre.

Three of the youths obtained distinction, 13 obtained credit and 5 got pass in the information technology course.

He urged the graduands to utilize the skills they have gained from the three-month training.

The governor of CRR, Ganyie Touray, hailed the NTA and the JTC for their initiatives in providing skills training opportunity for the youths to improve their lives.

“It is not every one that can get the chance to work in an office, but you have all acquired lucrative and life skills to become self-employed,” the regional governor said.

The ceremony was chaired by Omar Jammeh, an official of JTC.