Following our partnership with Alinea Foundation through their project WEENORTH, a 12 week Vinyl and Artificial Grass training programme was launched on the 12th of June, 2023. After 12 weeks, a graduation ceremony was organized on 12th of September, 2023 for Twenty Young Women; five from the Upper East region, five from the Upper West region and ten from the Northern region.
The broad goal for conducting the training was to WEE-North’s mission of advancing gender equity and promoting decent work in the male-dominated industrial trades sector.
As part of the Training programme, all twenty young women were provided with Startup packs to enable them better learn their craft and be ready to be independent tradeswomen after graduation.
The Training Programme had the following components; the Vinyl and Artificial Grass Installer Training (Theory and Practicals), the Empowerment and Soft Skills Training, the 360 Degree Industrial Attachment, final Practical Sessions and advocacy.
The young women were taken through both theory and practical sessions of the Vinyl Tiles and Artificial Grass.
These sessions were tailor-made to ensure that young women are able to appreciate the market niche and take full advantage of the niche. Their understanding of the product, site preparation, estimations and costing as well as the financial benefits of the products, both vinyl and artificial grass, is remarkable.
As part of the programme design, the young women had a number of empowerment sessions to enable them to have a good appreciation of the gender issues at stake and know they can thrive in male-dominated trades. They were also taken through a number of soft skills training sessions to equip them with the essential tools to make a difference along their professional journeys.
This was followed by the 360 Degree Industrial Attachment. The 360 Degree Industrial Attachment aimed to provide young girls with a practical glimpse into their future post-training. This phase followed their empowerment program and allowed them to put their acquired knowledge into practice. It commenced with marketing Vinyl Tiles and Artificial Grass in Tamale’s Central Business District, extending to engaging with people on the main streets. Regular review sessions were conducted to evaluate the outcomes and lessons learned from these interactions with the public and potential businesses.
Additional field visits focused on proper site preparation before product installation then followed. To complete the experience, participants conducted further field visits in their home regions, scouting potential clients and intensifying the marketing efforts for Vinyl and Artificial Grass.
More practical sessions followed during the last fortnight of the 12-week programme. The trainees dedicated themselves to further refining their installation skills for Vinyl and Artificial Grass. With several clients having already commissioned installation projects, this period provided an excellent opportunity for these women to showcase their craftsmanship. In total, each young woman successfully completed installations covering no less than 100 square meters of Vinyl Tiles and a portion of artificial grass. This intensive practice allowed them to sharpen and firm-up their abilities in estimating, executing installations, achieving impeccable finishes, and delivering exceptional customer service.
THE WAY FORWARD
At EISD, we are very particular about each of the young women and we are happy to have a 100% job placement rate. We would have
• 5 of them managing our Upper West Showroom and handling all installation services required
• 5 of them managing our Upper East Showroom and handling all installation services required
• 2 in Tamale managing our Showroom and handling all installations required
• 2 in Yendi managing our Showroom and handling all installations required
• 2 in Damongo managing our Showroom and handling all installations required
• 2 in Techiman managing our Showroom and handling all installations required
• 2 of the young women are being engaged by Alinea Foundation in the Eastern region.
We are proud to say that the 12-week Training Programme has been a transformative journey for these young women, offering them valuable insights into self-discovery, teamwork, self-reliance, and self-belief. Beyond acquiring essential skills that empower them to achieve financial independence, they have emerged as shining beacons of inspiration for numerous other young women aspiring to thrive in traditionally male-dominated trades.
WEE-NORTH
We are grateful to WEE-NORTH for financing this project. WEE-NORTH is a five-year (2020-2025) project funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and implemented by Alinea Foundation in Northern Ghana. We are equally grateful to Modern Floors Ghana for providing the technical know-how.
The young women have the world at their feet, and it behoves on all of us to support them. Their journey has only just begun.
