By Erica Apeatua Addo
Damang (W/R), Nov. 13, GNA – Beneficiaries of the Community Apprenticeship Training Programme (CATP) initiated by the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation ( GFGF) have been encouraged to register as members of the “Promprom” credit union.
The union established by the GFGF for small business holders and farmers in the catchment communities of the Mine, hope to help members access some loans at low interest rates to execute any contracts they may receive.
Dr Celestina Allotey, Vice President and Head of Sustainable Development, Gold Fields, West Africa, gave the advice at Damang after nine trainees successfully completed a two-year training programme in dressmaking.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, she said in 2021, the Foundation collaborated with trade masters from the Ghana Association of Garages, provided a two-year theoretical and practical training to forty-eight youth, made up of thirty-three males and 15 females in their host communities.
She noted that “Out of the 48 trainees,10 female trainees went into dressmaking at Mark Arthur High Fashion and nine of them who have successfully completed their training were now set to graduate.
They received tools such as; industrial sewing and knitting machines, electric irons, scissors, and measuring tapes all worth GH 93,015.00 to help them start their businesses within the host communities”.
“After two years of rigorous training and practical application, the trainees were certified by the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI). This certification was an attestation to their competence and authorizes them to operate and be registered as members of Ghana Dressmakers and Tailors Association” she said.
Dr Allotey said, in addition to the technical competence, the trainees attended workshops and seminars on entrepreneurship, adding the programme was part of Gold Fields’ broader commitment to community development and corporate social responsibility, aims to improve the livelihoods of host communities and foster a positive relationship between the company and the communities in which it operated.
According to the Vice President and Head of Sustainable Development, the CATP was a community-oriented initiative by the GFGF designed to provide skills training and employment opportunities to basic school leavers who were unable to pursue secondary education in the areas where they work.
The National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) Coordinator for the Western Region, Madam Ivy Yeboah, expressed appreciation to the GFGF and stressed that the beneficiaries were now qualified to go into the job market to exhibit what they were thought to the world.
She appealed to parents to encourage their wards to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the GFGF as it would help curb the unemployment rate in the country.
One of the trainees, Miss Judit Amponsah Yeboah, on behalf of his colleagues thanked the GFGF and said they would work with the skills to support their families.
The CATP introduced in 2011, has so far benefited 160 community youth, equipping them with skills in vehicle repairs, upholstery, dress making, auto-spraying, hairdressing and welding.
These skills were selected based on the local demand for skilled labour and job opportunities in the area.
GNA