By Anthony Apubeo Adongo
Binduri (U/E), Jan. 27, GNA – The National Youth Authority (NYA), under the Ministry of Youth and Sports has trained 40 young people from the Binduri and Pusiga Districts of the Upper East Region with employable skills as part of efforts to reduce the rate of unemployment, poverty, and social vices.
The exercise is part of the implementation of the Skills Towards Employability and Productivity (STEP) project being funded by the government.
The STEP project which targets the youth is an Apprenticeship Model that seeks to train the new generation of apprentices, infuse some theoretical and practical lessons in them to explore entrepreneurial opportunities while providing them with artisanal trade and vocational skills to empower them economically.
The beneficiaries, 20, from each district received training on various trades, including dressmaking, hairdressing, cosmetology, and satellite dish Installation, among others.
They were also presented with training tools and equipment including Sewing Machines, Hairdryers, makeup kits, satellite dish installation detectors, among other essential equipment needed for their work.
Mr Nelson Owusu Ansah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Programs and Operations, NYA, said the project was a deliberate attempt by government to reduce rate of unemployment among the youth and charged them to embrace the opportunity given them to better their lives.
He said 30 districts in the country were to benefit from the project which Binduri and Pusiga Districts were first beneficiaries of the project in the Region and urged all stakeholders to support the project.
Mr Ansah noted that the project was designed to bring ripple benefit effect on direct beneficiaries and those who would subsequently be trained by the first beneficiaries at no cost which is in line with the project objectives.
He said the beneficiaries were provided with the required equipment and tools to enable them to go through the training to establish themselves and added that, the Authority was employing mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the project to ensure its success.
Mr Francis Takyi-Koranteng, the Upper East Regional Director of the NYA encouraged the youth to devote their time for the trade to empower themselves, and emphasized that, it was an employable skill initiative for sustainable livelihood among vulnerable families.
He also urged the master craftsmen and women selected to offer the training to the youth on the various trades to offer the beneficiaries best of support to achieve the needed outcome the project is intended for.
GNA