An examiner with the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) in Sunyani, Christiana Bossman, has appealed to the government to provide start-up support for graduates of apprenticeship programmes in the Bono and Ahafo regions to help address youth unemployment.
She made the appeal at Goaso while supervising the final practical examinations of beautician apprentices, stressing that many graduates struggle to establish their own businesses despite acquiring employable skills.
Speaking to Adom News, Ms. Bossman said the lack of financial support and business spaces has become a major obstacle for apprenticeship graduates, particularly those trained in the beauty industry.
According to her, one of the biggest challenges confronting graduates is securing land or space to set up their businesses after completing their training.
She urged the government, particularly the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), to designate business centres for apprenticeship graduates, similar to the arrangements made for mechanics and artisans operating at garages.
“The major challenge now is where these graduates will establish their businesses. Government and the assemblies should consider allocating spaces where they can operate after completing their training,” she said.
The Chief Executive Officer of High Lady Beautician School, Dorothy Bonsu, also called on the government to prioritise apprenticeship graduates in its job creation agenda.
She noted that many trainees in the Ahafo Region come from underprivileged backgrounds and lack the financial resources needed to start their own businesses after graduation.
Mrs. Bonsu said providing start-up assistance to apprenticeship graduates would not only improve their livelihoods but also contribute significantly to reducing youth unemployment.
Some of the graduating apprentices also appealed to the government for financial and logistical support, saying they were uncertain about how they would raise the capital needed to establish their businesses.
They expressed hope that government interventions would enable them to put the skills they have acquired into productive use and become self-employed.
