By Iddi Yire
Accra, Nov. 17, GNA – The Government through the Ministry of Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, has provided each of the 16 newly inaugurated Public Employment Centres (PEC) in the country with a Toyota Hilux pickup vehicle.
In addition, the Government has provided the Ministry with a 32-seater Toyota coaster minibus to facilitate staff movement during durbars, workshops and conferences.
The PECs, which are in all the 16 regions, form part of the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project to boost job opportunities and improve skills training across the nation.
The Centres host the Ghana Labour Market Information System (GLMIS), which will contribute to developing critical skills for national economic transformation, minimising skill mismatches and reducing unemployment.
Mr Ignatius Bafour Awuah, the Minister of Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, presented 12 of the 16 pickup vehicles to Mr Dawuda Ibrahim Braimah, the Chief Labour Officer of the Department of Labour for distribution to the PECs.
While Mr Kizito Ballans, the Chief Director of the Ministry, on behalf of the staff received from the Minister the key to the 32-seater Toyota coaster minibus.
Four of the PECs, namely Atebubu in the Bono East Region, Odumase in the Bono Region, Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira in the Central Region and Konongo in the Ashanti Region have already received their pick-up vehicles.
While the second batch of 12 pick-up vehicles are for distribution to 12 PECs; namely Hohoe in the Volta Region, Dambai in the Oti Region, Yendi in the Northern Region, Walewale in the North East Region, Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region and Wa in the Upper West Region.
The rest are Damongo in the Savannah Region, Kenyase in the Ahafo Region, Tarkwa in Western, Bibiani in the Western North Region, Akim Oda in the Eastern Region and Amasaman in the Greater Accra Region.
Mr Bafour Awuah said the pick-up vehicles would facilitate the movement of their staff in their respect regions, as part of efforts to reach out to communities.
He noted that the 32-seater Toyota coaster minibus was provided by the Government for the Ministry following a request from the staff, to facilitate their movement during the Ministry’s durbars.
He reiterated that the pickup vehicles were supposed to support the work of the various PECs.
He said PECs were Centres, where people who were looking for jobs would go and provide their information to the attendants there.
In the same way, people who were employers and were looking for people to work with, could go and log on the information on people that they want to recruit.
“So, it’s like a marketplace, where both employers will be employers and who are employees, will meet and then exchange ideas. And we expect that a lot of engagements will be done at that level for people to be engaged, to get work to do,” the Minister stated.
“Fortunately for us, it is not everybody that can walk into these 16 centers that we have established. So, because of that, we have also established a web-based portal named www.glmis.gov.ghwhere people can access the same service that when they walk into a public employment center can do.”
Adding that the Government wants employment services to be easy for persons who were looking for jobs to access.
He said they wanted persons who were also regulating their world of work, especially inspectors at the various district levels, to also have an easy way of reaching their clients; saying “that is why today we are providing to the Labour Office these vehicles”.
Mr Baffour Awuah said this was not the only intervention the Government had made to the Labour Department; stating that about a year ago, the Government also made available some 86 motorbikes to the Labor Department to be distributed to their offices around the country, to facilitate their movement.
This, he said shows the Government’s commitment to improving the work of the Labor Department.
Mr Kizito Ballans, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, on behalf of the staff expressed gratitude to the Minister and the Government for the kind gesture.
Mr Dawuda Ibrahim Braimah, the Chief Labour Officer of the Department of Labour, assured the Minister that the vehicles would be put to good use.
The event was attended by Dr Festus Awuah Kwofie, the Deputy Minister for Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions.
GNA