Madam Lydia Duvor, Institute Manager at the New Century Career Training Institute (NCCTI) on Tuesday commended the Chinese government for supporting the institution to expand its campus.

The school, which was established in 2000, is a public Vocational Training Institution, which aims at equipping the youth with vocational skills to make them employable.

It offers ten programmes including Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Carpentry and Joining, Catering, Plumbing, Leather Works, Sewing, Building Draughtsmanship, Television and Radio Repairs, Electricals and Healthcare.

The compulsory core subjects are English, Integrated Science, Mathematics and Entrepreneurship. Students also receive basic computer training.

With a current enrollment of 465 students, the school runs the courses on a four-year full-time schedule, comprising three years of training and one year of practical attachment.

Ms Duvor made the commendation during a media tour of the school’s facilities by representatives of the Chinese Embassy.

The tour is the first in the line -up of Chinese-sponsored projects they would visit, to mark the 55th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ghana and China.

Ms. Duvor said the new building, constructed by Chinese construction firm, China State Hualong Construction, Ghana, with funding from the Chinese government, had enabled the school to have a dedicated workshop and lecture hall for the students.

She said the students of the sewing department were responsible for making the school’s uniforms, whilst the leather works department would soon start making belts and footwear for the students to ensure uniformity. The school also occasionally takes orders from the community.

Ms Duvor said although the school’s facilities were now good, it still lacks modern equipment to facilitate training.

She said the current equipment were obsolete, making training more difficult, since students do not also get the chance to familiarize themselves with the use of modern equipment in their field.

“Adequate staffing is also a challenge because of the embargo on employment. Although we need about 40 instructional staff, we currently have only 21, putting a strain on the instructors to handle more than one class,” she noted.

Mr Zhang Shixiong, the Deputy Manager of the China State Hualong Construction Ghana said the expansion project comprised an expansion of the NCCTI as well as the adjoining Dansoman Community Basic School.

The training school block includes 14 general classrooms, one catering classroom, one dinette with internment room and 4 special skills classrooms, which can accommodate 500 students.

The Basic school block includes 18 general classrooms, four small laboratories, a principal’s office and a staff common room, which can accommodate 750 students. Both buildings were also furnished and provided with two power generators.

Mr Zhang said the total costs of the project was $6,551,900.00 and was fully funded by the Chinese government to support Ghana’s self- development and promote employment.