Government to train 30,000 unemployed youth by 2003

Tibani (Upper West) 18 May 2002 - The government is to train about 30,000 registered unemployed youth to gain employable skills by the end of 2003, Mr. S.V. Apraku-Mensah, Director of the Integrated Community Centres for Employable Skills (ICCES) has said. He said ICCES would therefore be established in all 110 districts to absorb registered unemployed youth.

Mr. Apraku-Mensah announced this at Tibani in the Nadowli District of the Upper West Region on Thursday when he commissioned the local ICCES. He said both crash and regular courses would be organised to train the youth to be self-reliant to reduce the high rate of unemployment.

He identified soap, pomade, shito and tye and dye making as some of the short courses, while masonry, carpentry, tailoring and catering services would form the regular courses. Mr. Apraku-Mensah said instructors who were teaching in those centres on voluntary basis would now be put on salary with effect from January this year.

He urged the instructors to redouble their effort to achieve the aims of the centres. Mrs. Pauline Ningkpeng, Nadowli District Chief Executive pledged the district assembly's support for the centre in training the youth to acquire skills. She called on the youth, particularly the girls to take advantage of the programme to secure their future.