Hundreds of Youth in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo region are set to receive free skills training as part of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) initiative to re-establish livelihoods.

The Livelihood Re-establishment program was designed to mitigate the impacts of NGGL land take on households and to ensure Sustainable Entrepreneurship, Vocational and Technical Skills Development of Projects affected Persons in the Municipality.

The beneficiary youth are expected to be trained in skilled areas such as steel bending, welding, aluminum fabrication, fashion design, makeup, POP and Painting, videography, machine Operation, multi TV installation, masonry, electrical Installation, hairdressing and carpentry.

 Mr Henry Nii Charway Hammond, program manager of Opportunity Industrialization Centres International (OICI), the company contracted by NGGL to oversee the implementation of the program speaking on the sidelines of the orientation of master craftsmen held in Sunyani on Wednesday June 11 at the Tyco City Hotel said, the master crafts persons were selected from mainly the five (5) mining communities to train the beneficiary youth.

"OICI have entered a Memorandum of Understanding with the Master craftsmen and they are committed to contributing to the reduction of poverty among the youth", he added.

"Though the provision of vocational skills to become employable within a shorter period is labour and capital intensive, it should be expertly carried out to justify the cost involved."

"Therefore, the Memorandum of Understanding spells the roles and responsibilities of the master craftsmen on one side and OICI on the other side for the purpose of providing technical and Vocational skills training for the youth", he stated.

The master crafts persons who attended the orientation workshop in an interview with Sompaonline.com revealed their willingness to train the youth in the various selected skill areas.

Madam Alice Gyabea, a hairdresser said the trainees should submit to their masters for a smooth training. She added that, most youth she has trained over the years have shown little or no seriousness in the acquisition of self employable skills.

Mr Kennedy Opoku Agyeman indicated that, Ghana can only be elevated from poverty and youth unemployment if we pay critical attention to skills training. 

The craft persons were taken through the project implementation procedures, basic money and financial management among others.

Mr Kingsley Sarpong, the Bono regional coordinator of NVTI urged the master craftsmen to endeavor to get certificates to cushion their work.

Sompaonline.com/Akua Nyarko Abronoma