The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) has distributed start-up tools and equipment to beneficiaries of its Skills Training Programme in Koforidua in the Eastern Region following the successful completion of six months of intensive training.
However, beneficiaries have expressed concerns over the cancellation of the financial support previously provided to participants under the programme, saying the financial assistance were important in helping them meet their basic needs during the training period.
The beneficiaries were trained in various vocational and technical skills, including carpentry, Plaster of Paris (POP) works, glazing, general electrical works, painting, plumbing, beauty care and hairdressing, welding and fabrication, auto works, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and digital skills.
Others received training in apparel production and textiles, catering and baking, bead making and other employable skills aimed at equipping young people with practical skills for self-employment and sustainable livelihoods.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony,
when the YEA office in New Juaben South presented start-up tools and equipment to the beneficiaries in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional Director of YEA, Foli Atigah, explained that the Agency had cancelled the financial package for beneficiaries as part of measures to enable the programme to reach more young people.
He said the cost of providing other financial support to beneficiaries could become a constraint to expanding the programme.
According to Mr Atigah, more than 30,000 young people benefited from the first cohort of the Skills Training Programme, while about 20,000 others were being recruited for the second cohort.
He said the Agency’s priority was to equip beneficiaries with practical skills and the necessary tools to establish their own businesses and become economically productive.
Mr Atigah noted that the start-up tools were intended to provide beneficiaries with the means to immediately apply the skills they had acquired and gradually establish sustainable livelihoods.
The beneficiaries received equipment and tools relevant to their respective areas of training following the completion of the six-month programme.
The Municipal Chief Executive for New Juaben South, Ransford Owusu Boakye, urged the first-cohort beneficiaries to make good use of the equipment and tools provided by the YEA to transform their livelihoods.
He said the support should serve as a foundation for the beneficiaries to build successful businesses and eventually become leading brands in their respective fields.
He encouraged the beneficiaries to remain committed to their trades, build their customer base and use the equipment responsibly to generate income.
The MCE said the success of the programme would depend not only on the government’s support but also on the determination of beneficiaries to put their newly acquired skills and equipment to productive use.
The presentation forms part of efforts by the YEA to equip young people with employable skills and provide them with opportunities to create jobs for themselves rather than depend solely on formal employment.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com
