Minister presents working tools to 120 apprentices in Sunyani West

Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations on Tuesday presented working equipment worth thousands of Ghana cedis to 120 apprentices in the Sunyani West Municipality.

Each of them received tools comprising dryers, pedicure machines, tables, tape measures, shovels and trowels, chisels, hammers and pick axe.

Selected from Fiapre, Odmuase, Chiraa and Nsoatre, the beneficiaries are learning tailoring, dressmaking, plumbing, tiling and hairdressing.

The presentation is in line with an apprenticeship and employable skills training project which was launched by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations this year, to provide employment for the youth in the Sunyani West and Jaman South Municipalities of the Bono Region.

Being funded by the German government through the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), the 48,000 Euro-project will provide direct jobs for 150 young men and women in five communities in the two Municipalities.

The project is being implemented by the Ghanaian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (GGC), with support from Top Vision, a non-governmental organisation and will train beneficiaries in tiling, masonry, plumbing, tailoring, dressmaking, hairdressing and cosmetology as a catalyst to reducing youth unemployment.

Speaking at a short ceremony at Fiapre, Mr. Baffour-Awuah, also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani West said he had lobbied for the project and would cover 400 apprentices in the Municipality alone.

He said very soon an additional 180 apprentices would also receive their working tools and advised the beneficiaries to take their trainings serious.

Dr. Paul Osei Brafi, the Project Manager of Top Vision, local facilitators of the project said beneficiaries were selected through a comprehensive stakeholder engagement and training needs analysis.

He told the beneficiaries that the tools were their properties and advised them to take good care of the items for their own good.