The Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, H.E. Mounouna Foutsou, has launched a national tele-training initiative in Bamenda, North West Region, aimed at expanding access to vocational skills for young people, including those living in communities affected by the ongoing security crisis.
The initiative, implemented under the Government’s One Youth, One Trade, One Job (GEM) programme, seeks to make vocational training more accessible by combining classroom instruction with distance learning, giving young people the opportunity to acquire practical skills for employment and entrepreneurship regardless of where they live.
Speaking during the launch, Minister Foutsou said the choice of the North West Region was deliberate, given the difficulties young people face in accessing conventional training opportunities.
He explained that the new approach would allow young people to participate in vocational training through tele-training centres equipped with the necessary technology, while other centres would provide facilities for practical exercises.
Equipment is being distributed to Rural Artisan and Home Economics Sections (SAR/SM) across the region’s seven divisions. Two pilot centres are also being equipped with agro-pastoral training materials to strengthen skills development in agriculture and related fields.
“The objective is really to change the paradigm of vocational training,” the minister said, stressing the need to equip young people with skills that can lead to jobs or enable them to establish their own businesses.
He added that despite the security challenges affecting the North West, the region had continued to make efforts to promote vocational training, expressing confidence that tele-training would create additional opportunities for young people who might otherwise struggle to access such programmes.
The agro-pastoral component is also expected to contribute to the development of agricultural skills in line with the government’s drive towards second-generation agriculture, which places emphasis on improving production and strengthening the agricultural sector.
Beyond the ministerial launch, the event provided an opportunity for local innovators to demonstrate practical solutions to everyday challenges, particularly in energy access, waste management and the cost of living.
One of the innovations on display was a waste engine oil cooker developed by Young Star Enterprise. Its Managing Director, Akisa Bertrand, said the device uses discarded engine oil, commonly found in garages, as a source of cooking energy.
According to Bertrand, the innovation addresses two problems: the improper disposal of used engine oil, which can pollute the environment, and the high cost of conventional cooking fuel.
He explained that the system converts the waste oil into energy for cooking, offering a potential low-cost alternative for households and other users. Since used engine oil is often available at little or no cost, the device could help reduce fuel expenses.
Bertrand put the production cost of the cooker at 60,000 CFA francs.
Another innovation presented at the event was a portable, all-in-one photovoltaic solar power system designed to provide electricity in places where conventional power supply is unavailable or unreliable.
The system integrates its components into a single portable unit that users can move from one location to another. Its developer said it could power household lighting and certain appliances, including a refrigerator, depending on the system’s capacity and the appliances’ energy requirements.
The innovator said the idea was to make electricity more accessible and allow users to have a dependable source of power wherever they go.
The demonstrations highlighted how vocational training can extend beyond preparing young people for existing jobs to encouraging them to develop products and services that respond to local needs.
For the North West Region, the tele-training initiative offers an alternative route to skills acquisition at a time when insecurity and movement difficulties continue to disrupt normal activities in some communities.
By equipping training centres, expanding distance learning and promoting practical innovation, the programme seeks to connect young people with opportunities for work, self-employment and enterprise creation.
Its impact will ultimately depend on the effective use of the equipment provided, the quality of training delivered and the ability of young people to turn the skills they acquire into sustainable livelihoods.
