Graduates laud government on employment plans

Some graduates have lauded the government’s initiative to address the alarming unemployment rate in the Country.

The government announced the creation of a Nation Builders’ Corps (NBC), which is set to address graduate unemployment in the country.

The corps, according to the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta will employ at least 100,000 graduates in 2018.

The Minister announced this during his presentation of the 2018 budget statement on the floor of Parliament, Wednesday.

The graduates are optimistic that the Nation Builders Corps which is a major government initiative to address livelihood empowerment and graduate unemployment as stated in the 2018 budget will greatly address the issue in the Country.

Graduate unemployment has remained the single most daunting challenge for successive governments over a long time.

According to a research conducted by the Institute of Statistical, Social, and Economic Research (ISSER), only ten percent of the country’s graduates is employed after national service.

Worse still, it takes more than ten years for some graduates to secure jobs after leaving school, the research indicated.
The finance minister said it was about time the government paid close attention to resolving what has become a national canker – unemployment.

He said dealing with the issues of poverty and unemployment is no longer an option because they are serious national security issues which must be addressed and the 2018 budget will take a bold step towards finding a lasting solution.

In conformity with the theme of the 2018 budget which is “Putting Ghana back to work,” the Finance Minister said unemployed graduates will be kept busy in 2018 with jobs in education, sanitation, health and other social intervention.

The Nation Builders’ Corps which will be housed at the office of the president as a special initiative will see the provision of employment, improved skills and ensure better government revenue mobilization across the country.

Under Teach Ghana, Clean Ghana, Heal Ghana, Feed Ghana, modules, the program will train graduates and equip them with tools to become teachers, sanitation inspectors, agric extension services across the country, the minister assured.