The Sekondi Sub-metropolitan office of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) has so far engaged 1,478 youths under some of the modules of the programme. The office has recruit 800 people under the Paid Internship and Industrial Attachment component of the programme. Out of the figure, 157 have been given appointment letters and are working with the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, while the others are to receive their appointment letters. Also, 100 people have been engaged under the Sanitation module of the programme. They started work in September last year. The Employment Co-ordinator of the Sekondi Sub-metro of the NYEP, Mr Edmund Lamptey who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in an interview, said 300 health extension workers had been recruited under the programme. He said they were currently undergoing a six-month training course and were receiving monthly allowances of 400,OOO cedis each to cushion them, in addition to the provision of free uniforms. Mr. Lamptey explained that after the six-month training course, they would be posted to the various hospitals in the metropolis. Also he said 100 youths had been recruited for environmental health, adding that they were yet to undergo a six-week training programme. Mr Lamptey said after the training programme, they would be posted to the communities as sanitary inspectors (saman saman). He noted that 78 youths had been engaged under the Rural Education and People Teaching Assistance module and had started teaching in the communities in the metropolis. According to the employment co-ordinator, 100 farmers had been given money to the tune of 200 million cedis under the Youth in Agriculture component of the programme to cultivate vegetables and for animal rearing. Mr Lamptey said 100 people had been short listed under the Community Protection module of the programme adding "We are yet to receive the green light from the head office in Accra to start.." He said the office was yet to tackle the other modules, which are the Trade and Vocation, Information and Communications Technology (lCT) and Vacation Employment. He explained that initially people were sceptical about the programme but when it started with the recruitment of health extension workers, the enthusiasm was boosted and the youth rushed to register. "We have been monitoring them in their day-to-day activities. We have not received any com¬plaints yet and that means they are doing well," he explained. He urged all unemployed youths who fell within the age bracket, 18 and 35, to register with the NYEP to enable them to secure jobs. He said they could register under any of the 10 different modules of the programme after providing one passport-size photograph and school results.