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Twenty-one thousand (21,000) youth are being trained by the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and CSIR-BRRI in specialized skills under the Youth In Brick Production and Construction module of the agency.

The trainees will be taken through a meticulously designed training module to impart knowledge and skills that they need to succeed in the field of burnt bricks making and construction.

Addressing the selected trainees in Kumasi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YEA, Kofi Baah Agyepong said the YEA has been planning the program since last year August when lots of people have questioned YEA’s scale of ambition.

He said, YEA’s scale of ambitions is embedded in their skills training and job creation drive.

According to him, some people thought YEA system cannot carry too many big plans but currently, the YEA is training 10,000 youth in ten field areas including masonry, carpentry, tiling, POP, glazing works, general electricals, plumbing, beauty care, hair dressing and auto works.

The Youth In Brick Production and Construction, he said, which is a collaborative program between the YEA and CSIR-BRRI will train and equip the youth to acquire specialized skills that will help change the construction industry of the country.

“By the end of the year, a total of 21,000 youth would have been trained and equipped not only to provide bread and butter for their families, but also contribute to national development,” he said.

He described the unemployment situation in Ghana as a national security threat and averred that government through the YEA has done a lot and will continue to do more in creating job opportunities.

The agency, he revealed, currently has over 200,000 young men and women on their database looking for various jobs.

The YEA boss lauded the efforts by government in supporting the YEA achieve its aims and objectives and indicated that, the agency is backed by a government that sees youth unemployment as a major concern to national development, hence providing the YEA with necessary support.

He said; “We see the future not as something out of our control but of something we can shape through a concerted and collective efforts.”

Kofi Baah Agyepong urged the trainees to be proud of the opportunities that government, through the YEA, is giving them and see it as a major milestone in their growth and development.

He added that studies have shown that the building industry is unable to employ majority of the Ghanaian youth because they lack modern artisanal skills, hence the influx of artisans from neighboring countries like Togo whose skills are needed by contractors and estate developers.

He charged the trainees to be professionals and do away with the attitude of abandoning work for funerals and other social events; stressing that YEA initiates the Youth In Brick Production and Construction program to bridge the skills gap and improve professionalism in the building industry.

He also revealed that the trainees will be giving monthly stipends of GH¢500 during the training.

CSIR-BRRI

The Forestry Research Institute Director, Prof Daniel Ofori said the mandate of CSIR-BRRI is to generate and apply innovating technology for socio-economic development in areas of agriculture, environment, public health, industry, social science and as far as the program is concerned, they are to undertake research in all aspects of building and road design as well as construction with the view of ensuring efficiency.

They are to also produce construction materials from local sources for increased utilization in construction.

He noted that the institute will offer the trainees the requisite knowledge in the development of materials from local sources such as in brick construction among others.

Prof Daniel Ofori described the program as a transformative training that will equip the youth to thrive in the building and construction industry.

He also touched on the growing climate change and the importance of using local materials in construction in mitigating climate change effects.

He said by harnessing the "our natural resources, we reduce dependence on imported materials and create opportunities for local industry to grow amid the use of eco-friendly materials, and innovative building practices".

“Let us remain steadfast in our commitment to promoting the use of local materials to productive change”, he advised.