Keta (VR), Jan 14, GNA – Mr Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey, Member of Parliament (MP) for Keta is sponsoring a total of 830 youth constituency-wide to train in carpentry, dressmaking, hairdressing, welding and other trades.
The youth apprenticeship programme initiated by the MP in partnership with tradespersons will see him bear in part, cost and logistics needed for the training with the latter bearing the other cost.
Meanwhile, parents/guardians of the apprentices are expected to take care of feeding and the cost of final examination of their wards at the end of the over two-year training.
Mr Gakpey speaking at a ceremony at Abutiakope to sign an agreement for some 137 young women undertaking training in dressmaking and hairdressing under the programme thanked the about 250 tradespersons for accepting to partner him to empower the youth in the constituency with various skills training.
He explained that signing of apprenticeship agreement was around GH¢1,000.00 per head, but he would pay GH¢200.00 for it and disclosed that he was in addition, providing about GH¢600.00 and GH¢400.00 for tools and graduation fee respectively making a total of about GH¢1,200.00 to be spent on each apprentice.
The MP charged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously, pay attention and humble themselves before their trainers throughout the period to acquire skills to be self-reliant in the near future.
He pleaded with parents/guardians to support their wards with feeding and other things they would need to learn the trade while calling on the tradespersons to consider the young ones as their relatives and show them love and not enslave them.
One of the tradeswomen, Madam Gertrude Dzokoto, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said she decided to be on the programme to support the good intentions of the MP in helping to train the youth in employable skills to be useful to themselves, the family and the society.
A parent of one beneficiary apprentice, Madam Martha Segbefia thanked Mr Gakpey and his partner tradespersons and asked for God’s blessing for them for the programme which she said would give meaning to the lives of the youth, advising the beneficiaries to be serious and not take the opportunity for granted.
“I’m so happy for this programme because I’m an orphan and had no chance of learning any trade. I’ll take all the advice given to us here seriously, pay attention to everything my madam will teach me to become my own madam tomorrow,” a beneficiary, Benedicta Wagba, told the GNA.
Source: Ghana News Agency