YEA Central Region employs over 2,800 youth, pays additional 894 under BEAP — YEA CEO

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Mr. Kofi Baah Agyepong, has announced that the agency currently employs over 3,700 youth in the Central Region through various programs.

Mr. Agyepong detailed that YEA employs 1,719 youth under the Community Protection Assistants module, 722 under the Community Health Workers module, and 371 under the Prison Assistants module.

Speaking on Kastle 90.3 FM's Drive on Friday, June 28, 2024, Mr. Agyepong clarified that YEA is a temporary measure designed to cushion unemployed youth as they seek permanent and sustainable jobs. He acknowledged that while YEA has not been able to provide jobs for every youth, the agency is continuously rolling out new interventions with the overarching vision of reducing the unemployment burden.

Highlighting the importance of skills acquisition, Mr. Agyepong emphasized that skills are invaluable and cannot be taken away. Under YEA's skills training module, the agency offers training in areas such as tiling, plumbing, auto mechanics, glazing, beauty care, and more to encourage entrepreneurship among the youth. "In the Central Region alone, 675 beneficiaries are enrolled in YEA's skills training program," he said, revealing the addition of the "Business and Employment Assistance Programme (BEAP)" to support small-scale enterprises.

BEAP aims to ease the salary burden of small-scale enterprise owners by assisting them in paying their employees' salaries. "If you have a small business and are unable to pay your staff, YEA can help you pay them. Overall, YEA supports 3,706 youth on its monthly payroll in the Central Region," Mr. Agyepong asserted.

Reflecting on his tenure as CEO, Mr. Agyepong underscored his passion for securing the future of the youth. "Everything now is about bread and butter. If I can help the youth secure their future and provide for themselves and their families, then we can consider ourselves successful," he stated.

Mr. Agyepong also took the opportunity to thank the entire staff of YEA and the beneficiaries of the various modules across the region, emphasizing that any accolades received by the agency are due to their hard work and dedication. He expressed his appreciation for their meritorious contributions to the overall success of the agency.