Despite initial resistance to the proposal to be enrolled onto the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), unemployed graduates of the School of Hygiene have signed a one-year agreement to get onto the scheme.

About 1,347 graduates have been enrolled onto the scheme and they will be deployed to various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) before May 2, when they are expected to start work.

“Government will pay GH¢450 allowance to each of the 1,347 people for the next one year, pending their financial clearance and pending their final posting and absorption by the affected district assemblies,” Minister of Employment and Labour Relations Haruna Iddrisu said at the signing ceremony on Tuesday.

“They will commence work from 2nd May and I expect that this process will run until May 2017.”

Spokesperson of the graduates Prince Dzramado expressed satisfaction with the deal but asked that their social security is taken care of.

He also asked government to ensure that they get a buffer as regards their positions as environmental health officers and assistants and not as sanitation guards under the youth employment scheme.

Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Collins Dauda assured the graduates of their positions and titles at each assembly they will be posted to.

The graduates had demonstrated last week against failure of government to fulfill a promise to get them employed.

Mr Iddrisu offered them enrolment onto YEA with the pretext that government is financially constrained to get them into regular employment.

They rejected the offer then but government’s negotiation got them back into agreement.

The Employment Minister says though the graduates will not be on wage employment in the new deal, they will be assured of social security.