100,000 to receive skills training to create 120,000 jobs

The National Entrepreneurship and Innovations Programme-NEIP has unveiled an ambitious project targeted at creating 120,000 jobs after training 100,000 in skill areas.

The programme dubbed Skills for Jobs Project was launched in Accra.

Unemployment remains a major challenge to the youth of Ghana to help reduce unemployment in the country, NEIP is proposing the skills for job project to provide practical skills in some trade areas to help provide jobs for about Six Hundred Thousand (120,000) youth and to help reduce rural-urban migration and as well as address the jobs and skills challenges faced by the youth of Ghana, especially in the rural and peri-urban areas.

The Skills for Jobs (S4J) Project is a deliberate Jobs and Skills intervention expected to train about 100,000 youth to provide them with lifelong Skills to enhance their employability and further ensure sustainable livelihood across the country.

The training is expected to take place across all the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.

Addressing the youth at the launch of the programme, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovations Programme-NEIP, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah said, NEIP since 2017, he has provided business development support to about 250,000 beneficiaries, provided starter packs to 35,000 businesses, and provided funding support to about 15,000 companies.

These have created about 100,000 jobs, he added

“We are here again to unveil another impactful intervention from H.E Alhaji Dr. Mahamoud Bawumia - The Skills for Jobs project. Which is an expanded version of the vocational skills Programme H.E. the Vice President, tasked us to give our kayayei Sisters under the Kayayei Empowerment Programme. 5,000 women are being trained in various skills and he has instructed us to train an additional 100,000 youth across the Country in these skills areas.” Mr. Nkansah said.

Areas of training under the skills for jobs include Soaps and detergents making, cereals processing, yoghurt and local drinks, cosmetics, baking, beading and jewellery, pedicure & manicure, décor, makeup artistry, mobile phone repairs, key cutting, CCTV installation, general soft skills and entrepreneurship training among others.

Trainees will be selected from districts across the Country with the help of MPs and MMDCEs.

The Deputy Minister of Finance in charge of Wealth Creation, Dr. Steven Amoah, said the government is committed to reducing unemployment through projects like Skills for Jobs.

He said the NPP government is the only government that wants to provide alternative livelihoods for the youth away from Okada riding, which has been the main campaign promise and the vision of NDC’s John Dramani Mahama for the youth of Ghana.

He said all social interventions and projects are introduced by the NPP government and the NDC has no single sustained policy to their credit.

He admonished the youth to take advantage of the numerous opportunities introduced by the government to alter the course of their lives.