The Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, Mr. George Opare Addo, has stated that the youth unemployment rate for those aged between 15 and 24 years currently stand at approximately 5.4%.
He, however, said the rate stands as high as 38.8% when considering underemployment and those in insecure informal work, with nearly 70% of employed youth engaged in the informal sector.
The Minister made this known at the matriculation and induction ceremony of the National Apprenticeship Programme (NAP) beneficiaries at the Center for National Culture in Kumasi.
NAP is a flagship initiative of the government under the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, and implemented by the National Youth Authority.
The core mandate of NAP is to create structured pathways for young Ghanaians to acquire competency-based, industry-relevant skills that will empower them for gainful employment and entrepreneurship.
The program targets to enrol 10,000 beneficiaries across all 16 regions of the country, covering nine broad trade areas that respond directly to the labour market demands of the economy.
The nine trade areas under the programme include Agriculture and Agro-processing, Craftsmanship and Artisanal Trades, Mechanical and Electrical Trades, Traditional Crafts, Arts and Creative Trades, Fashion and Textile Trades, Cosmetology, Renewable and Sustainable Energy, Hospitality and Tourism, ICT and Emerging Digital Crafts.
The beneficiaries of the programme expressed their gratitude to the government and pledged to remain disciplined, committed and focused until the end of their training.
The Atwima Afrancho chief, Nana Odei Nsiah Akodampa II, commended the government for the programme and advised the beneficiaries not to let the government down.
He urged them to take advantage of the opportunity to acquire skills and become self-employed.
