A total of one hundred and eighty-one (181) unemployed youth at Agono Swedru in the central region have graduated from this year’s Youth Apprenticeship Program (YAP)

The program, which is an initiative of financial institution, Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans, has been in operation for more than five years.

It is a three years training program meant to help tackle rise in social vices mainly due to the unemployment situation in selected communities by Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans.

Beneficiaries during this period are trained in selected vocational and technical skills of their choice which is paid for by the financial institution.

Over 4,000 less privileged in many societies across the operational areas of the financial institution have benefited from the program since its inception.

Chief Program Officer of Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans, Mrs Owusu Dabo, says the aim of the program is to provide job opportunities for the youth and an opportunity for income generation.

“…they go through the program for three years and in between the training period we also run a capacity building program for them, because the goal is to help them set up when they are done so that on their own they can work and generate income for themselves. We hope they will become responsible youth in the future and become resilient, be independent and responsible citizens”.

The Agona Swedru graduation ceremony is the 30^th graduation of the YAP program since its inception.

Mrs Owusu Dabo entreat the youth to stay away from social vices and take advantage of vocational and technical trainings to equip themselves.

“…we realised that some of the youth are just running around involved in some social vices which are not good for the public. The aim of Sinapi Aba is to be able to bring the youth out of these vices and make them responsible citizens so that through the training they can contribute their quota towards their family and their communities.

"We believe they have their talents that we can harness for the good of the nation and that is what we seek to do as Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans.”

Some of the beneficiaries of the YAP initiative pledged to make use of the skills they have acquired to help others.

Meanwhile, Relationship Manager for Agona Swedru Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans, Martin Nkrumah, is urging Ghanaians to adopt the habit of savings and stop spending all their monies on goodies.