By: Kingsley Attitsogbui| Ziope
The Youth in Skills Training Initiative program, under the auspices of the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Agortime-Ziope constituency, Hon. Charles Agbeve, successfully graduated 122 apprentices last Saturday.
The initiative, conceived by the MP, involved the selection of two individuals from each of the 61 polling stations at the time, who underwent a comprehensive two-year training program.
During the graduation ceremony held at the E. P. Church premises in Kpetoe on Saturday, the MP presented startup kits, including dryers and sewing machines, to all 122 graduands to kickstart their businesses.
The theme of the initiative was “Equipping the youth of Agortime-Ziope for a better future.” The individuals selected received training in hairdressing and dressmaking.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Hon. Agbeve expressed his commitment to building the human capital of the constituents through skills acquisition, aiming to open the district to more economic activities.
He emphasized the importance of empowering more people with skills training, fostering future businessmen, women, and entrepreneurs for sustainable development in the area.
Hon. Agbeve explained, “I saw the need to support this group of people because I have students from the SHS levels requesting sponsorship to go to the university, and I have market women and traders seeking support for their businesses.
However, in that middle-level gap where we have skill-trained people, we don’t see them until one skilled man approached me and advised that I add this to my initiatives.”
The MP highlighted that the program was decentralized to the polling station level to ensure widespread benefits across the entire constituency.
Trainers were district-based individuals with shops within the Agortime-Ziope constituency, aimed at boosting the local economy.
Hon. Agbeve urged constituents to patronize the services of the newly trained graduands, emphasizing the role in elevating the status of local economic growth for livelihood.
He further encouraged youth to seek more such opportunities, as the development of the area is a shared responsibility.
He hinted at ensuring more collaborations and sponsorships with Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) institutions to scale up the number of apprentices in the coming years.
Chairman of the Volta Caucus in Parliament and MP for Ho West, Hon. Emmanuel Kwesi Bedzrah, charged the graduands to make good use of the acquired training for economic empowerment, noting that not everyone has such opportunities.
He encouraged them to train others willing to learn under them, contributing to the boost of the local economy.
Several graduands expressed gratitude and appreciation to the MP for the initiative, acknowledging the lifetime employment opportunities provided.
The ceremony was attended by traditional leaders, entrepreneurs, masters and madams of the training groups, family, friends, and well-wishers, including political actors.