YEA Exceeds 2023 Employment Target

-CEO Discloses…As Garment and Apparel Module Takes Off

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) has disclosed that the agency has exceeded its 2023 youth employment projection by 16% so far.

Mr. Kofi Baah Agyepong said the agency had projected to engage a total of 71,500 youths throughout its programmes, but ,as of May, this year, it has engaged 84,483 youths, who are working and contributing to various sectors of the economy.

This was revealed by the CEO during the official launch of the YEA’s Garment and Apparel Module in Kumasi yesterday, August 14, 2023.

According to the YEA boss, he has always been guided by His Excellency President Akufo Addo’s vision of a sustainable job creation for the youth by ensuring that majority of them benefit from various programmes rolled out by the YEA.

He said under the current management, the YEA has been able to achieve the recruitment of 6,000 Community Health Workers, recruited 15,000 Community Protection Assistants, 1,500 Prisons Service Assistants and800 artisans for the INZAG Project, among others.

“We still have the 45,000 beneficiaries for the Youth-in-Sanitation Module, recruitment of 4,000 farm workers for the Afarinick Cocoa rehabilitation programme; recruitment of 6,000 insurance agents, creation of over 11,000 employment opportunities through the YEA’s Job Centre,” he said.

Mr.Baah Agyepong also pointed out that the YEA has collaborated with other state institutions, like the Building and Road Research Institute of the CSIR, the Ghana Library Authority, the Accra Digital Centre, National Labour Commission, and the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) to give training to Ghanaian youth.

Garment and Apparel

He also explained that the Garment and Apparel Training and Employment Programme, under the Apparel and Textiles Module, is aimed at creating sustainable opportunities for young people interested in dressmaking or industrial sewing.

The beneficiaries of the training programme, he noted, will be equipped with in-depth knowledge and hands-on training in various aspects of tailoring and dressmaking, including fabric selection, cutting techniques, sewing, garment construction, pattern making and alterations.

The beneficiaries will be trained by big garment companies and micro/small scale seamstresses and tailors.

YEA, he indicated, will support about 40 large garment companies with between GH₵100,000) and GHc200,000 each.

“The Agency will also support 500 micro/small scale seamstresses and tailors with Ten Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH₵10,000) each to enable them to train the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries will also be provided with monthly stipends throughout the period of their training,” he said.

According to him, YEA has surpassed its set targets and is poised to introduce other innovative ideas by creating additional 31,600 job opportunities for the youth of Ghana in 2023, adding “But we cannot do this without additional funding.”

Chief of Staff

The Chief of Staff at the Office of The President, Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, in launching the Module, said the government of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo remains committed to youth employment interventions, by initiating policies aimed at providing skills necessary for productivity growth and sustained development.

She said the Free SHS policy, Free TVET intervention and the numerous business support schemes available for youth start-ups and youth entrepreneurs across the country are key programmes government has employed to make lives better.

She also averred that, the introduction of Competency-Based Training in TVET education, with the aim of improving the quality and relevance of TVET is helping to meet the needs of industry players, hence the YEA’s Garment and Apparel Module is a laudable initiative that plugs into government’s efforts at promoting the Technical and Vocational sector in the country.

“Vocational Sector as a viable alternative means of employment. Under this module, Five Hundred (500) small scale seamstresses and tailors, as well as Fifteen (15) large scale garment and apparel manufacturers will benefit from the financial support provided by the Agency to aid them scale up their operations,” she said.

The Chief of Staff admonished all the master-craftsmen of the Garment and Apparel Module to demonstrate strong commitment by providing high quality training to all beneficiaries, urging them to provide top-notch, high quality technical skill transfer and acceptable business culture for all beneficiaries to emulate.

Source: Anchorghana.com