Elvis Tano, a graduate from Cohort 2 of our Plumbing Systems Design program, remains a powerful reminder that the right skills training and employer linkages can immediately create employment for young people in Ghana.
Elvis joined us with a senior high school certificate, actively looking for what to do next as a young man. He moved to Accra in search of a job, and had explored hawking ice cream on the streets, waiter gigs at events, Qatar World Cup staffing, hawking ice cream once again until January 2024 when he enrolled at ACTT.
As part of our training, he was placed for a mandatory one-month apprenticeship at Safari Valley, a 4-star forest-lodge resort, set in a vast valley located 65km from Accra. While there, we received great feedback from the employer who decided to formally hire Elvis in 2024. We negotiated for a decent minimum starting salary on his behalf, and he has since been a part of the team, mentoring subsequent cohort of apprentices from ACTT who were placed at the resort.
His work currently spans anywhere from new cabin bathroom installations; to maintaining swimming pools and bio-digesters; to waste water management.
Graduation Ceremony, December 2024
He remains one of our proud success stories, moving from UNEMPLOYED to SKILLED (within 6months) to HIRED (even before graduating from the Plumbing Systems Design program).
We of course would not have been able to support Elvis and several other young people from diverse backgrounds, without our valued partners. We say a big thank you to Safari Valley Eco Resort for their partnership and trust!
You may follow Elvis on his TikTok page!