Ekumfi Essuehyia (C/R), Oct 3, GNA - The Mfantseman Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Henry Kweku Hayfron, has appealed to the youth to take advantage of opportunities the government and development partners are creating and build their capacities through skills training. "Acquire skills to enable you to start your own businesses rather th= an relying on white collar jobs that are non-existent," Mr Hayfron said. He said this when inaugurating a Community Skills Training Centre established at Ekumfi Essuehyia through partnership between Mfantseman Municipal Assembly and Kent County Council of the United Kingdom. The centre is to train the youth to become day-care attendants, to prepare confectionary and pastry, ICT, plumbing and painting, hospitality and catering services and financial management. Mr Hayfron commended chiefs of Ekumfi Traditional Area for releasing t= o the assembly an old clinic building that they were using to hold meetings t= o be developed into the Community Skills Training Centre. He said the Municipal Assembly had benefited from the partnership entered with Kent Country Council in March last year. Mr Hayfron said apart from capacity building programmes for the people of the municipality, Kent County Council had developed Business Start-up Kits to encourage individuals to set up their own businesses and to support existing businesses to expand. Mr John Etuah, Municipal Budget Analyst and Co-ordinator for the partnership, urged people who would be appointed to train the youth at the centre to be devoted and hard working to enable the trainees to acquire the skills at the stipulated time.

Mrs Rachele Verrier, Head of International Development at Kent County Council, said skills training was the key to development and advised the youth to take it seriously. Nana Impraim, Chief of Ekumfi Eyisam and Acting President of the Ekumf= i Traditional Area who presided, said chiefs of the area were satisfied with the achievements of the partnership so far and appealed to the youth to tak= e the skills training seriously.