The National Youth Authority (NYA) yesterday launched the Skills Towards Employability and Productivity Project (STEP) in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
The STEP is a skill training initiative introduced by the government through the NYA to promote entrepreneurship and reduce unemployment rate among the youth.
The beneficiaries, numbering 28, would receive training in cosmetology, hairdressing, dressmaking, commercial driving and satellite dish installation, depending on the interest of the individual.
Launching it, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NYA, Mr Pius Enam Hadzide, advised the beneficiaries to take their training seriously and desist from acts that could destruct their focus.
“Take this opportunity seriously as it will become your source of livelihood in the near future. Be submissive to your superiors and be polite at all times so that you can learn the skill properly and come out victorious. Government has invested a lot in this project so do not make the investment go waste, remain dedicated,” he added.
He also mentioned that it was very necessary for the beneficiaries to know the impact of good customer service on businesses so that they could apply same and grow their businesses.
“If you treat your customers with respect, they will recommend you to many people, and as your clients increase in number, your business expands automatically.”
“Excellent customer service is one of the major keys that make businesses thrive,” he stressed.
Mr Hadzide indicated that exhibiting professionalism and being creative also had the tendency of making business owners stand out among their peers and competitors.
The CEO also advised the beneficiaries to take advantage of the internet, especially social media, to take their businesses international after their training, saying “emulate the good examples of big companies if you want to be like them one day”.
Director, Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the NYA, Mr Pascal Edwards, in his remarks, urged the youth to be entrepreneurially minded, adding that all the beneficiaries must desist from engaging in acts that could affect the progress of their training by “helping yourselves to make the best out of your lives”.
One of the beneficiaries, 25-year-old Ms Nancy Abaxe, thanked the NYA for coming up with the initiative to empower the youth.
She revealed that she graduated from the Senior High School several years ago, but could not further her education to the tertiary level due to financial constraints, hence her decision to take advantage of the STEP project to learn dressmaking.
“I have the passion for fashion that is why I chose dressmaking and I believe I will surely excel in the field. I am thankful to the NYA for this chance and assure that I will not take it for granted,” she said.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
