The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has pledged to absorb apprenticeship fees paid by artisans for any vocation if he wins the 2020 elections.

John Mahama who was interacting with some artisans including carpenters, welders, plumbers, electricians, and hairdressers, among others, on Wednesday in the Upper West Region, said a credit scheme will be created for interested individuals.

They will use the capital to acquire all the basic tools needed to learn a vocation.

He believes providing financial support to an apprentice would contribute towards both job creation and the development of critical mass needed for national development.

“We need to train you to understand the new machines that are coming out so that you can continue to give us the services that you give us.

“When we were in office we worked with SEDO to open a training school in Suame Magazine, we will do the same here so that the master craftsmen and their apprentices can learn how to use dialogistic machines because now all the vehicles and other equipment use diagnostic machines.

“So if we don’t do that [train you] time will come to the old machines will be flushed out and only the new ones so if we don’t train you to work on them then you will be out of work.

He added that a National Apprenticeship programme will be introduced to register all craftsmen across the country.

According to him, this will make it easy for government to finance the apprenticeship fees it has promised.