Kodua Frimpong – YEA Boss
The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) has
introduced new innovative, employable and self-sustaining programmes aimed at
redirecting the narrative of the agency, and serving as a fortune for
beneficiaries and a panacea to all existing challenges faced by the
beneficiaries of the agency.
The Director of Corporate Affairs at
YEA, Emmanuel Kwasi Afriyie, in a statement, said, “These programmes – Job Centre,
Artisan Directory and the Regional and District Agric-based Flagship projects –
have been developed after thorough review and value for money audit of the
existing modular programmes which the agency has been engulfed in during the
past 12 years of existence.”
“The unemployment situation in the
country necessitated stopgap measures that will train and give hands-on
experience to young people and make them academically and practically ready for
the job market. The agency over the period has done very well in this direction
by implementing community health workers module, community protection
assistants module, prisons service assistants module, fire service assistants module,
community education teaching assistants module, among others,” the statement
indicated.
However, it noted that a major
challenge identified after the review was the fate of beneficiaries who exit
the modules. It explained that even though some get absorbed by mother
institutions, the figures are woefully inadequate leading to a bulk majority of
them finding their way back unto other modules, and the rest going back into
the labour market unemployed.
“Existing data also suggests that
notwithstanding the immense contribution of these traditional modules, there is
still a lot that can be done to facilitate sustainable employment for young
people. This can be achieved through skills development, mechanised agriculture
and extensive partnerships with both the public and private sectors,” it said.
“There is the need for an end to the
seeming recycling of unemployment. The agency has, therefore, put forward and
will within the next month launch its three new initiatives – the Job Centre, Artisan
Directory and the Regional and District Flagship programmes. The Job Centre is
a platform (online and physical) that will connect job seekers to employers of
all fields within the public and private sectors across the country. It will
capture all formal and informal employers as well as graduate and non-graduate
job seekers,” it explained.
“The platform comes with three main
components: Online portal – this is a virtual platform that allows
job seekers to search and apply for jobs advertised by employers while
employers on the other hand enjoy the convenience of advertising vacancies
online and placing a request to the Job Centre for the supply of goal-oriented personnel.
Walk-in Centres – these are localized
offices across all districts in the country designated to support and guide job
seekers and employers alike. It is a face-to-face centre where advisory,
counselling and mentoring services will be provided.
Training Hub – will be temporal
centres set up to provide quality training, skills upgrade and matching to give
job seekers a head start in the job market. Second is the Artisan Directory.
“Our third self-sustainable programme is the Regional and District Flagship programme. This project is premised on the peculiar agro-business needs of the various districts across the country. Our district offices are being supported with funds to venture into viable agricultural projects that will thrive within their communities while providing employment for its people,” it added.
BY Melvin Tarlue
