Forty-five youth graduate at Otaakrom ICCES

Otaakrom (Ash), Aug 7, GNA - Mr Wilberforce Owusu-Ansah, the District Chief Executive for Atwima-Mponua, has deplored the low enrolment at the Integrated Community Centre for Employable Skills (ICCES) centres despite the government's efforts at revamping the centres.

"The low enrolment at the ICCES centres while numerous junior and senior secondary school graduates roam aimlessly in the urban centres reluctant to learn any trade paints a gloomy picture of the future economy of the country", he said

The DCE, who was speaking at the graduation of 45 youth who passed out at the Otaakrom ICCES centre at the weekend, said though apart from the free training, a start-up package to enable the youth start their own business was available, the youth still do not want to be trained in employable skills.

Mr Owusu-Ansah said the assembly had contributed a total amount of 20 million cedis since 2004 to support the centre and the assembly recently procured carpentry equipment worth 12 million cedis. The DCE advised the people who underwent training in carpentry, masonry, catering and hairdressing to take advantage of the various credit schemes and other interventions to grow their businesses.

Mr Osei Tutu Ababio, the Centre Manager, commended the assembly for its support and appealed to traditional rulers to release land to enable the centre to undertake its estate development programme.