The Integrated Community Centre for Employable Skills (ICCES), Shama on Wednesday, 22nd August 2018 passed out 350 trainees under the YIEDIE project.
The graduation which was organized at the forecourt of the Shama ICCES centre saw in attendance a number of 350 youth who formed the second batch of trainees to benefit from the ICCES/YIEDIE agreement.
The Youth Inclusive Entrepreneurial Development Initiative for Employment (YIEDIE), is a project designed by Global Communities, a Non Governmental Organization, to empower the youth of Ghana with the requisite skills and technical know how to take over the booming construction sector.
The collaboration is to train thousands of youth between the ages of 17 and 24 years in a three (3) to six (6) month apprenticeship programme under the YIEDIE project.
In a speech by the Shama District Chief Executive, Honourable Joseph Amoah, he explained, “the ICCES, as a community based skill training institution thrives on the support of the community’s various stakeholder groups; and I believe we all have a role to play in making the people in and around the community, especially the youth truly employable”.
He also assured the congregation that the assembly will continue to play a supportive role to ICCES to “achieve the purpose for which they were established”.
Mr. Paul Quaysie, Centre Manager, Shama ICCES Centre also entreated the graduates to go into the corners of this country to inspire and motivate.
"Your dedication and commitment to whatever you find yourselves doing after acquiring skills is very important since it is your contribution to the development of Ghana. You have gone through a period of training that qualifies you to be a competent person in the area of study", he said.
He thanked all sponsors and partners who helped to make the second batch of the YIEDIE project a success.
"I do appreciate the work of Global Communities and all YIEDIE partners for their contribution and backing towards community development projects like this. We say God bless you all".
Shama ICESS which has been able to train a total number of 650 youth within the past one (1) year under the YIEDIE PROJECT.
Within the past year, they have trained the youth in areas ranging from Masonry to road signal installation, Plaster of Paris (POP) design, tiling, plumbling, steal bending, carpentary, and many others,
The graduation was chaired by Nana Akosua Gyamfiaba II (Queen Mother of Shama Traditional Council and Chairperson for the Centre’s Management Board) and saw many dignitaries some of whom were the Shama District Chief Executive, Honourable Joseph Amoah, (who was also the guest speaker for the occasion) and Mr. Mahmud Abdul Salam (Regional Coordinator – Global Communities, Takoradi).
About the Shama ICCES/YIEDIE project
The Shama ICCES/YIEDIE project focuses mostly on the vulnerable youth (literate, non- literate or semi – literate) within the Shama District by providing them with employable skills.
Under this project, the Shama ICCES Centre is to mobilize the youth from the communities and engage competent and committed master craftsmen/women within the communities to train them, monitor and evaluate the performance of both the trainees and master craftspeople and reporting on them on regular basis to the donor partners, providing psychosocial counselling (financial literacy, entrepreneurial and life skills training) to the youth, and as well as preparing high performing trainees to sit for NVTI proficiency exams at the end of the program.
The cost of the training of the youth including examinations is fully funded by Global Communities – the donor partners.