A technical apprenticeship deal signed between Vivo Energy Ghana PLC (VEGH) and the Applied Technology Institute (ATI) is being structured not just to place young mechanics in jobs, but to produce a new class of independent automotive entrepreneurs capable of owning and operating their own workshops.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed at VEGH’s head office in Accra, formalises the company’s Mechanic Advocacy Programme — an initiative targeting young mechanics in Ghana’s vast informal automotive sector. The programme blends structured classroom instruction with supervised practical training and direct industry exposure through VEGH’s existing retail and lube bay network.
What separates this partnership from a standard corporate training initiative is its stated goal beyond employment. Graduates are expected to gain the technical and commercial capabilities required to establish independent automotive workshops, manage lubricant service centres, or operate as Shell-branded distributors and retailers. The programme frames skills acquisition as a direct route to business ownership rather than wage employment alone.
ATI Principal Ing. Emmanuel Kotey Ashie said the collaboration was designed to close the persistent gap between institutional learning and what the industry actually demands: “Through this collaboration, our students and employees will benefit from practical training, industrial exposure, innovation, and skills development aligned with current industry demands.”
Former ATI graduates already working at VEGH retail outlets and lube bays provided testimony at the signing, confirming the programme’s employment conversion record ahead of this expanded phase.
VEGH Managing Director Christian Li and Vivo Energy Group Vice President for Central Lubricants and Commercial Kerim Kermen both addressed the signing, with Kermen linking the initiative to broader national development strategy and the lubricants business’s long-term growth direction.
