Govt Tackles Graduate Unemployment
The Ministry of Employment, in collaboration with International Labour Organization (ILO), yesterday launched a programme to reduce unemployment, dubbed Graduates Business Support Scheme (GEBSS), in Accra.
GEBSS is aimed at providing innovative schemes to promote capacities of unemployed graduates to prepare them for the job market, based on encouraging self-owned business concept.
In an interview with DAILY GUIDE , E. T. Mensah, Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, said government was passionate about the high rate of unemployment in the country. He noted that due to this problem, government had taken steps to launch GEBSS to help reduce the number of unemployed graduates in the country.
He said, 'We are not saying GEBSS is going to solve our entire unemployment problem.
'A journey of a thousand mile starts with a step. Once we have begun this initiative, more will follow.'
Mr. Mensah said the government was not being pressured by any association formed to bring this initiative.
The initiative, he said, was part of government's plan to deal with the unemployment situation in Ghana.
He stated, 'Unemployment did not start yesterday, and it is not peculiar to this country. It is a global phenomenon, and everybody must help to reduce it.'
E.T. Mensah said in February next year, his ministry and ILO would hold a high-level conference in Accra on making employment the central indicator in economic performance of the country.
GEBSS is the private scheme that partners government to resolve the critical issue of graduate unemployment in the country.
The programme is targeting 10,000 unemployed graduates per year to benefit from a four-tier exposure, experiences and practical skills programme to guide and support them to set up businesses.
GEBSS will provide opportunities for self-confidence building, business incubation, business executive coaching, industry attachment, business set ups support, as well as local and international exposures.
In achieving this objective, GEBSS will provide business set-up support to at least 10,000 Ghanaian unemployed graduates through 4 levels of customized, practical, instruction and incubation activities.
GEBSS practical training, exposure and mentoring programs for unemployed graduates shall be offered annually.
The programme is designed to comprise four parts, with duration of 12 months.
The first part of the 10 days will involve a comprehensive session, preparing 10,000 unemployed graduates nationwide with requisite competencies (attitudes, skills and knowledge) to identify opportunities to set up their own businesses.