Bridge Power To Empower Youth For STEM Jobs

Managers of the Bridge Power Project (BPP) located in Tema, have announced their intention to kick-start a technological literacy project to empower Ghanaian Youths.

According to Steve Jernigan, Managing Director of Endeavor Energy—a member of the consortium developing the BPP, the intervention will create after school science and technology hubs in selected senior high schools in the country.

Mr. Jernigan said the literacy project will further address youth unemployment by empowering and preparing young people for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) related jobs.

The energy expert was speaking at an event which saw the unveiling of a $70 million power generation investment for the BPP.

The Tema Manhean Secondary Technical School, located in the Tema Metropolitan Area (TMA), is expected to be the first senior high school to benefit from the literacy intervention, this year.

The initiative will then be expanded across TMA over a period of five years, and nationwide over 10 years. It is expected that students under the Double Track System of the free senior high school (FSHS) will gladly take advantage of this initiative.

The project, according to the Endeavor manager, will centre on practical science and maths, electronics, robotics, game development, coding amongst others.

“We will also link students to the Bridge Power Project and power sector through mentoring, work experience opportunities and scholarships to tertiary institutions”, he said, adding that it will also be extended to teachers to help upgrade their STEM skills.

BPP will not only bring a respite to Ghana’s energy and education sector; the project is going as far as empowering women in the fishing industry with business development skills.

Apart from supporting existing training programmes initiated by local government, it will focus on financial management, better methods of smoking and storing fish, business development and hygiene.