The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) has disbursed funds to support tailoring masters across the 16 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the northern region to train some selected youth.
The initiative is a piloted programme under the garment and apparel model introduced by the agency to provide skills training for the teeming unemployed youth.
The YEA Northern Regional Director, Mr. Haruna Mohammed with the support of the Regional Minister, Mr. Shani Alhassan Shaibu, at a short ceremony on Monday, presented a check amount of GH¢18,750.00 to the selected trainers from each of the districts in the region.
The YEA Director in an interview said the initiative seeks to support artisanship in order to create employment opportunities for the youth who have not had the opportunity of acquiring formal education.
He explained the funds disbursed will enable each trainer to provide the needed skills training for about three persons that would be attached to their respective shops for a period of one to two years.
He added each of the three beneficiary trainees would be receiving a monthly stipend of GH¢500 just like all other youth employment beneficiaries in the other models.
“It’s one of the special models of the agency and we want to pilot it and expand it by the close of this year and next year; so that we would be able to enroll more youth who will be venturing into this particular sector.”
The selected trainers, according to Mr. Haruna Mohammed, are persons certified by the National Vocational Training Institute and also belong to recognized tailoring associations and have registered their companies.
The YEA Director emphasized the garment and apparels sector is equally important in promoting export and reducing the importation of certain materials into the country.
“We’ve great challenges with regards to importations and this government encourages us to limit importation and produce more local commodities in the country. When COVID-19 struck, we had to look for companies to produce tissue papers and so it is about time we also invest in our garment and apparel sector – if you check India and co, you would realize that they have supported a lot of women because women drive that sector” he asserted.
Monitoring
The Director indicated the Youth Employment Agency has a monitoring system known as the beneficiary management timesheet to validate each beneficiary at the end of every month.
This, he emphasized, is very critical in the success of all the models being implemented by the agency.
The Northern Regional Minister, Shani Alhassan Shaibu, in his remarks urged the beneficiary to put the resources given to them into good use and transfer the needed knowledge and skills to the trainees entrusted into their care and guidance.
He said the government remains committed to implementing such pro poor initiatives to alleviate the suffering of all Ghanaians especially women and the youth.
The Minister stated providing employable skills development is the way to empower the youth to contribute meaningfully to economic growth in the country.
Meanwhile, the artisans have also lauded the YEA and the government for the intervention and pledged to ensure the programme becomes a success for more people to benefit.
