Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has said the training of the youth under the first phase of the Youth Employment Agency's Skills Training Programme underscores the government's commitment to providing employable skills to the youth.
The YEA has trained 10,000 young people in carpentry, beauty care, hairdressing, plumbing, auto mechanics, painting, steel works and welding and glazing (Glass Works) at Techiman in the Bono East Region
According to YEA, the trainees received allowances during their training and start-up equipment afterwards.
The programme comes after the recent training of thousands of ladies under the Kayayei Empowerment programme, formal training under the Free Technical Vocational Training (FTVET) and digital training offered by facilities such as the Accra Digital Centre.
Speaking at the passing out ceremony of the YEA-trained artisans at Techiman in the Bono East Region on Tuesday, Dr Bawumia reiterated that the government acknowledged the key role played by the youth in national development.
YEA, in October 2019 first launched the Job Centre together with the Artisan Directory, a skill development programme designed to build the capacity of artisans and to train new ones to meet current global requirements of the artisanal industry.
Dr Bawumia said the initiative is largely because of the anticipated socio-economic and cyclical impact of these new artisans on the growth and development of Ghana, the ECOWAS Sub Region, Africa and the world as a whole.
"This pool of talented artisans in rows before us this morning presents varying opportunities for us to expand and develop the sector for the growth of our nation. The artisanal industry is the oldest livelihood job in Ghana for centuries and remains the powerful Economic engine to absorb more people seeking sustainable job opportunities," he emphasised.
Three months ago, Dr Bawumia who joined YEA to launch the Kayayei Empowerment programme in Madina, said young women through that Programme have graduated with various skilled jobs in Detergent and Soap Making, Beading and Jewelry.
Others include Makeup Artistry, Pedicure and Manicure, Baking and Decoration. More Kayayeis are currently undergoing training in Madina and Ashaiman and will soon be graduating into the world of work," he announced.
Dr Bawumia commended the leadership of the Youth Employment Programme for setting up a Job Centre to link applicants with jobs and a soon-to-be-launched App to provide the location and contact of the 10,000 graduates across the country to make accessing their services easier.
Leveraging the technological potentials of Ghana in the digital marketing space, Dr Bawumia said YEA is gradually becoming digitally inclined and has taken several steps forward in providing innovative solutions to the modern-day problems affecting the artisanal landscape in Ghana.
YEA has been very instrumental in the Agenda for Jobs of the Government through rollouts of traditional modules, entrepreneurial modules and artisanal modules.
The YEA Job Centre also connects job seekers to employers online and has facilitated the recruitment of thousands of young men and women into the private sector and NGO jobs in the country.
YEA has broadened its partnership with the private sector under the Business and Employment Assistant Programme and has provided human resource assistance to many certified small and medium scale enterprises across the country."
The Vice President challenged the fresh graduates to continually seek knowledge and further skills, saying "Your training comes with a prize- a prize of distinguishing yourselves as credible Artisans not only in moulding products and providing services to your clients but credibility which hinges on character, hard work and transparency in your career journey.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"As you transition into the world of work, never feel secure and technically efficient because you have been certified to work as an Aluminium Fabricator or Carpenter but aspire to take opportunities to build your capacities."
The Chief Executive Officer of the YEA, Kofi Baah Agyapong, commended the newly-trained youth for their dedication and perseverance, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, and charged them to be role models worth emulating.
"I am highly elated to see so many happy faces here today, given where many of you have come from and the challenges you have faced. I urge you to grab this opportunity to be outstanding citizens with both hands and run with it," he stated.
Being the first batch, I ask that you practice your newly acquired skills in a manner that would encourage Ghanaians to patronise your services and attract many more youth to acquire employable skills."
