About 300 unemployed youth in the Suhum, Koforidua and its neighbouring communities are set to receive training in employable skills.

The initiative dubbed the Youth Apprenticeship Program (YAP) is being spearheaded by a non-banking financial institution, Sinapi Aba.

The three-year training program is meant to inculcate the entrepreneurial spirit in the youth and address the high rate of unemployment in various communities across the company’s operational areas.

Beneficiaries of this year’s program will be trained in dressmaking, hairdressing, aluminium fabrication, carpentry and masonry.

The initiative that started in 2003 engages master craftsmen in selected fields who train beneficiaries for a period of three years with relevant skills to start their own businesses.

Officials of Sinapi Aba at a special ceremony to begin the new cohort in Suhum, provided free equipment and tools as a start-up kit for the beneficiaries.

Suhum Akyempemhene, Nana Barima Amoako Darko, is positive that artisanship will provide a different avenue for development other than the regular education offered in schools.

“…this support would go a long way to reduce unemployment in the country and Suhum in particular. I commend Sinapi Aba for this and pledge the support of the Suhum traditional Authority to ensure its success."

He encouraged the trainees to put in their best to ensure they graduate, start their own businesses and employ others in the near future.

YAP Coordinator, Margaret Owusu Asare, is positive this will continue to economically empower the youth and alleviate poverty in our communities.

Meanwhile, Suhum Branch Manager of Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans, Bright Adu Antwi, says the gesture is part of the company's social responsibility.

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