National Youth Training and Placement Board to be set up

Oyoko (E/R), April 25, GNA - Government is to formalize vocational and apprenticeship training through the establishment a body to regulate all activities concerning vocational training, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampfo, Eastern Regional Minister has announced. The body to be established would be known as the National Youth Training and Placement Board. Mr Ofosu Ampofo said Government would increase the number of vocational institutions in the country to provide options for Junior High School graduates, who might not gain admission into the Senior High Schools and the technical schools.

This was contained in a speech read on behalf of the Regional Minister at the opening ceremony of the Sixth Biennial Connexional Delegates Conference of the Association of Methodist Brigades at Oyoko, near Koforidua last Friday. The four-day conference was being organised under the theme: "Raising Young Leaders of Integrity for Sustainable Development of the Church and Society".

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said the programme, which formed part of the over-all youth development programme of government, would have District Youth Training and Placement Boards under the auspices of the District Assembly to oversee the planning and implementation of the training and placement programmes. He said the District Boards would be linked to the National Board through the Regional Boards and every district would be required to establish and operate at least two public vocational and technical institutes.

Right Reverend Fredrick Nnuro, Bishop of the Koforidua Diocese of the Methodist Church, called for the introduction of African Traditional ethics and morality in the educational system. This he said would institute discipline in the training of the youth. He advised the youth to be mindful of everything they do because it could have a repercussion on them in future and urged the youth to devote themselves to whatever they do. Earlier in a welcoming address, the Connexional Methodist Brigade Co-ordinator, Mr Isaac K, Enninful regretted that the lifestyle of some people in high and responsible positions in society with the connivance of the mass media is making the youth to believe that they could attain wealth without hard work. He said this had resulted in increased immorality, drunkenness, crime and Internet crime.