Sunyani, March 14, GNA - A first batch of 81 female school drop-outs, common carriers and the needy at the weekend passed out of the Bethel Vocational Training Institute in Sunyani after a three year training course.

Fifty-three of them trained in dressmaking and the rest in catering, hairdressing and batik tie and dye production at the Institute established by Bethel Prayer Ministry International.

Each of the trained dressmakers was presented with a sewing machine, a certificate and 200,000 cedis as seed capital while the rest also received a certificate and 200,000 cedis.

The Ministry has set up a committee to monitor and help the trainees to form co-operatives so that they could access loan facilities to expand their activities.

Speaking at the ceremony, Nana Kwadwo Seinti, Brong Ahafo Regional Minister reiterated the government's determination to reduce poverty among the people by enhancing employment opportunities with a view to improving the standard of living of Ghanaians.

He said it was in the light of this that the government had committed itself to providing the unfortunate youth with employable skills that the Ministry of Manpower Development and Employment was tasked to re-focus its programmes to produce skilled and motivated workforce.

Nana Seinti said apart from establishing technical and vocational training centres, the government through the Committee in Action For Employment Generation had drawn up a programme to train several thousands of jobless youths in various employable skills over a three-year period.

Under the same programme, entrepreneurial training is being provided for those wishing to establish their own businesses, the Regional Minister said, adding that the youth living and working on the streets were also being encouraged to continue their education by acquiring employable skills.

He said the government had proposed a 50 billion cedi youth development fund that would soon become operational to supplement existing programmes to help the youth to fit well into the society. Nana Seinti commended the Ministry for setting up the Institute to equip needy youth with entrepreneurial skills and co-operative skills and pledged government assistance in this direction.

The Presiding Bishop of the Ministry, Bishop Paul Owusu Tabiri, said the graduation of the trainees was "a vision come true".

He said the Institute was established with the aim of harnessing the creative talents of the youth free of charge and would be expanded to cover the remaining 12 districts in the region.

The Bishop added that a technical department would be established at the Institute, which would ultimately be developed into a University. Other projects undertaken by the Ministry include a 10 acre maize farm in Sunyani, yam production at Yeji, piggery, commercial poultry and a bakery, all aimed at equipping the youth with employable skills.