By Adnan Adams Mohammed
The Energy Commission of Ghana has graduated 340 at its 23rd Electrical Wiring Certification & Awards Ceremony with a call for improved customer services.
Clad in their graduation attire, the newly certified practitioners stood as a reflection of the hard work, training, and dedication required to meet the standards of professional electrical wiring in Ghana.
Held under the theme “Empowering Certified Practitioners: Securing L.I. 2008 Through Professional Authentication,” the ceremony reinforced the importance of professionalism and safety in the country’s energy sector.
The Board Chairman of the Commission, Professor John Gartchie Gatsi, in his remarks called for inclusion of customer service training as part of the soft skills training of the electrical wiring professionals to help them improve on customer service experience. Further indicating that, the Commission places high premium on the ceremony because it is one of the objective ways to ensure professionally skillful men and women involved in the electrical wiring industrial, commercial and domestic facilities are awarded and motivated.
“We are happy to carry out one of our mandates as a Commission under the Electrical Wiring Regulations, 2011 (L.I. 2008), and related regulations. Electrical wiring of our domestic, commercial and industrial facilities should be done within the context of safety and professionalism to build lasting trust and credibility”, he noted.
Prof Gatsi assured the Ghanaian public that the Commission will step up its regulatory efforts; including activating the sanctions regime to enhance the environment within which all actors in this industry operate in certifying more Electrical Wiring Professionals. Further indicating that, the Board had already directed management to review the curriculum to include customer relations and care which are key parts of the profession but with less attention being paid.
“We encourage women to go through the certification process as only 233 females have been certified in the past 12 years representing only 1.3% as against over 17,000 men over the same period.
“We will also ensure that the annual knowledge update (CPD)for those who have been certified is taken seriously before renewal of practicing licenses are granted.
According to the Board Chair, over the past 12 years, the Commission certified about 18,000 electrical wiring practitioners. Out of the number, 11,040 focus on domestic facilities while 5,788 on commercial facilities and 827 on industrial facilities. With less than 700 inspectors. We encourage more to enroll to increase safety and credibility in the electrical wiring profession.
“Regulatory sensitivity and reforms are needed to deliver professional electrical wiring and protect property and business assets. We will therefore strengthen regulatory collaboration and improve our public education. We will step up inspections at the ports of entry to ensure substandard electrical materials are cleared.”
He called on the graduates, as expected of them in accordance with the ethics of their profession, to report substandard electrical wiring materials which find their way into the marketplace.
“To our graduates, today’s gathering is not merely to celebrate your achievements, to serve professional ambassadors within the industry and also signal to the public to engage only professionals to undertake electrical wiring of their facilities.”
