As part of efforts to build a strong and permanent relationship with its host communities, Golden Star Bogoso/Prestea Limited, a gold mining company in the Western Region, has trained about 239 youth in the company’s catchment area in various employable skills.

The training was in line with the company’s social responsibility programme dubbed, “Golden Star Skills Training and Employability Programme” (GSSTEP). Fifty-Eight (58) beneficiary youth who received six months’ free training in carpentry, masonry, electrical as well as domestic science, graduated last Thursday.

The trainees, who were the 4th batch of beneficiaries since the introduction of the programme, were selected from Bogoso, Beppoh and Ehyireso, all in the Prestea Huni Valley district of the region and were presented with working tools pertaining to their chosen professions. They were also presented with certificates.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Neil Laffin, Managing Director of the mining company posited that the training would help empower the youth in their economic lives to be able to earn a living for themselves and also contribute to the general development of the communities they came from.

He indicated that over the past four years, the company had demonstrated genuine commitment towards the economic development of its catchment areas outside the company’s foundation source of funding.

“So far 239 persons from the catchment areas have benefited from the vocational training initiative as against the 240 persons originally targeted by the mining company,” he added. He told the trainees that mining had a life span and so there was the need for them to make judicious use of the training they had received to their benefit.

He appealed to chiefs, parents and guardians to monitor the beneficiary youth, particularly those in their areas, to see whether they were putting the training they received to good use.

“Please find out how they are utilizing the opportunities they have enjoyed and the start-up tools we gave them,” he stressed.

Robert Gyamfi, the Community Relations and Social Responsibility Manager of the mining company who gave the background of the programme encouraged the youth of the area to build on the footprints left for them by the company to improve their lot.

The graduands expressed their gratitude to the company for the gesture and pledged to put the training they had received to good use.