Thirty-one graduates from the Stemapet Cake and Floral Institute on Saturday passed out with diploma certificates after pursuing foundation and proficiency courses in Cookery and Pastries, Catering and Sugar-craft, Floral Designing and Decoration and Fashion.
The ceremony was held under the theme: ‘Learn a Trade for Hardwork Pays’, which provided the platform for graduates to showcase their creative works.
They exhibited beautifully-designed cakes, pastries, floral designs and wedding gowns.
The Institute, established in 2007 with the current student population of 71, offers admission to persons who desire to learn hands-on trade.
People with diverse educational background are given the opportunity to acquire a hands-on trade, including housewives, workers, professionals and senior and university graduates, as well as school drop-outs and the underprivileged.
Addressing the 11th graduation and exhibition ceremony of the School, in Accra on Saturday, Mrs Juliet Minna Kerse, the Proprietress of the School, encouraged the graduates to form alliances and establish companies by relying on their collective expertise and resources to make headway in life.
The Institute announced plans to introduce Cosmetology Studies intended to train students on massaging, pedicure and manicure and facial beauty.
The Proprietress of the School urged them to take branding and packaging of their products seriously, treat their customers with care and satisfy their needs, saying; ‘The customer is always right’.
She said the School offered practical training which was intertwined with theories and also equipped students with good communicator skills.
‘Our aim as an Institute is to empower the less privileged and school drop-outs by training them in careers that would enable them to become self-sufficient,’ Mrs Kerse said.
She said the graduates of the School were allowed to sit for the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) examinations, saying that, 25 out of the 31 graduates from this year’s batch took part in the NVTI examinations and excelled with distinction.
Mrs Marian Angela Kyei, a Governance and Communication Consultant, who chaired the function, urged the graduates to exhibit good attitudes to their clients at all times, adding that with passion and determination they would make headway in their chosen profession.
Students that distinguished themselves in the courses were awarded prizes and certificates, with Ms Loretta Konadu Ofosu being adjudged the Overall Best Student.
