YEA Boosts Skills Training in Ashanti as 1,820 Masters and Apprentices Receive Equipment
The Youth Employment Authority (YEA) has taken a significant step toward strengthening vocational and technical skills development in the Ashanti Region with the distribution of essential working equipment to 1,820 masters and apprentices under the National Apprenticeship Programme.
The equipment, which includes industrial sewing machines, hair dryers, and other trade-specific tools, is intended to enhance practical training in key vocational areas such as tailoring, hairdressing, glazing, and electrical works. The intervention is aimed at improving the quality of hands-on learning while enabling beneficiaries to acquire employable skills that can translate into sustainable livelihoods.
In addition to the tools, both apprentices and their masters will benefit from monthly allowances, a move expected to motivate effective skills transfer, improve productivity, and ease the financial burden associated with apprenticeship training.
The distribution ceremony, held at Ejisu, brought together government officials, traditional authorities, beneficiaries, and community members, highlighting the government’s renewed focus on youth empowerment through skills acquisition.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Authority, Hon. Alhaji Inusa Mahama, said the initiative forms part of President John Dramani Mahama’s broader vision of creating an enabling environment that equips Ghanaian youth with practical, market-ready skills. He emphasized that technical and vocational training remains a critical pathway to reducing youth unemployment and fostering self-reliance among young people.
According to him, the National Apprenticeship Programme is designed not only to provide training opportunities but also to ensure that beneficiaries are adequately resourced to practice their trades effectively, thereby improving their chances of employment or self-employment upon completion.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. Dr. Frank Amoakohene, stressed the importance of prioritizing national development over partisan considerations in the implementation of youth-focused programmes. He noted that initiatives such as skills training play a crucial role in steering young people away from social vices by offering them meaningful economic opportunities and a sense of purpose.
Hon. Dr. Amoakohene further encouraged the beneficiaries to take full advantage of the support provided, stressing that discipline, commitment, and dedication to their chosen trades would be key to transforming the opportunity into long-term success.
Also addressing the gathering, the Chief of Donaso, Nana Akwasi Agyekum, commended the government and the Youth Employment Authority for the timely intervention. He urged the apprentices and their masters to make effective use of the equipment, noting that skills training remains one of the surest pathways to job creation, self-employment, and economic stability.
The National Apprenticeship Programme continues to serve as a central pillar of the government’s youth development agenda, with the Ashanti Region benefiting from sustained interventions aimed at building a skilled, productive, and economically empowered youth population.
