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Bunyanso Farms Permaculture Institute in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah region has on the 3rd of December, 2021, awarded three (3) apprentice trainees on the occasion of the 37th Farmers Day celebration under the Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship in Beekeeping training.
The chief executive officer of Bunyanso farms and a GEA registered skilled craft person, Mr. Iddrisu Sumani explained that the beekeeping training course was designed and prepared with support from Bunyanso Farms Limited in 2015 to deliver standardized and systematic training to apprentice trainees in the beekeeping industry to enable them to improve on their beekeeping techniques and skills with a target apprentice trainees between the ages of 16 to 35 to enable them develop in very simple terms to cover the basic techniques needed to operate a successful beekeeping business with a six months course with funding from the Mastercard Foundation, Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) to help build the capacities of apprentice trainees on improved beekeeping as a commercial activity and encourage these apprentice trainees to venture into production and sale of bee products.
Mr. Sumani added that under the apprenticeship to entrepreneurship model of the programme, the capacity-building initiative is structured in three (3) batches of which each batch constitute about fourteen (14) trainees and with sessions lasting for a maximum of six months period of which the first batch of the training was conducted for the first 14 apprentice trainees from April to September, 2021 with experienced professionals in the beekeeping industry taking participants through the beekeeping production processes which was conducted for four (4) days in a week over the six (6) months period.
He further explained that, the participatory and practical approach employed by the trainers made the trainees fully involved in all aspects of the training.
The apprentice trainees were excited about the programme and were regular and punctual throughout the programme.
The municipal Business Advisory Director, Mr Karaja Yahuza explained that the Ghana Enterprises Agency in partnership with Mastercard Foundation are the implementation bodies of the Young Africa Works Project which focuses on creating 39,000 jobs for young men and women in the country.
Mr Yahuza added that, there are three components under the project namely;
Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship (A2E),
Innovation Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) of which the A2E focuses on vocational and technical skills training for unemployed young women and men with aim of providing apprenticeship and practical attachment (on the job) training through GEA Approved Skilled Craftsmen and Artisans (who are themselves entrepreneurs/MSMEs).
In addition to the skills training, beneficiaries will receive entrepreneurial and financial literacy training to prepare them for either gainful self-employment or salaried employment after successfully completing their training and apprenticeship/practical
attachment where participants will be supported to write the NVTI examination,
supported with start-up kits and also receive mentoring for a year.
Target participants for A2E are unskilled young women and men who may have
dropped out of school as well as those that have completed vocational/technical
training schools but still unemployed and require practical or on the job training to
prepare them more effectively for employment.
Mr. Iddrisu Akilu on behalf of the participants and the award winners commended Bunyanso farms and the Ghana Enterprises Agency for the opportunity given them to undertake the training offered them in beekeeping which will go a long way to establish them in their beekeeping businesses.
Out of 14 participants, three (3) were awarded during the 37th National farmers Day celebration of which following were awarded as beekeeper graduate apprentice trainees; Mr. Iddrisu Akilu (best beekeeper Graduate Apprentice trainee), Sumani Sumaya (1st runner best beekeeper ), Siriki Alhassan (2nd runner best beekeeper) under the Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship component of the Ghana Enterprise Agency and Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Works project.
Source: padfm.com.gh / Kumatey Gorden
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