The Director of Interparty and Civil Society Relations for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) says that the party plans to introduce a national apprenticeship programme if voted into power.

According to Dr Peter Boamah Otukonor, the NDC believes that the youth are not only the future of the country but also its current leadership, as they drive economic growth.

Speaking on JoyNews' Upfront on Wednesday, August 14, Dr Otukonor noted that the issue of youth being out of school and unemployed constitutes a national security crisis.

He emphasised the need for the government to take immediate steps to address this problem.

“And so what we have proposed as a part of our efforts to move the youth to productive sectors of the economy is to introduce what we call the national apprenticeship programme.

“And so for young people who do not have any skills and job, this national apprenticeship program is going to enroll them into various trades of skills,” he said.

Dr Otukonor also stated that a significant number of young people have the desire to acquire vocational skills but have faced difficulties in securing opportunities.

“We believe that this national apprenticeship program would be very crucial to move a large mass of our youth into the job market,” the NDC Director of Interparty and Civil Society Relations added.