The Dean of the Nations Builders Corps (NABCO), Jambeidu Issahaku Khan has appealed to government to give priority to NABCO trainees when recruiting employees to fill vacant positions within the various Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs).
According to him, trainees under NABCO have acquired the necessary skills that qualify them to work in these departments.
Speaking at the NABCO passing out anniversary in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, the Dean and Upper East Regional Coordinator of NABCO, Jambeidu Issahaku Khan opined that, it will be in the interest of the state if MDAs give premium to NABCO trainees in their employment process.
“We want to appeal to the government to talk to the Ministries, Agencies and Departments. If they have vacancies to recruit, they should recruit first of all from the Nation Builders Corps and then if we do not have the talent in the pool of the 100,000 then they can look outside of NABCO to recruit.”
“We think that, the investment that we are making in terms of providing jobs, in terms of the training, improving the skills of these graduates, improving the competency levels and the levels employability of these graduates, it will serve this country well if the Ministries, Government, Agencies and Departments recruit their employees from NABCO”.
Mr. Khan further appealed to the government to scale up the numbers of NABCO beneficiaries in the 2020 budget to help address graduate employment in the country.
“We are making an appeal to the government for an additional 30,000 for the Nation Builders Corps in its 2020 budget, so, we can raise the numbers from the current 100,000 to 130,000 and I believe that, the teeming unemployed graduates will be grateful to government,” he added.
He also assured that the beneficiaries who haven’t received their stipends due to challenges with the banks will soon be paid.
Positive testimonies
Some beneficiaries told Citi News that the NABCO initiative has significantly impacted their livelihoods and has adequately prepared them for the job market.
A beneficiary, Amenyah Kove Edem said, “NABCO has been helpful to us. It has provided us with job experiences and we get stipends monthly which we use to cater for ourselves till we get permanent jobs”.
“After school, NABCO has given me a platform to learn more, gain experience which is a requirement for jobs and receive stipends for what I do at NABCO,” Judy Atambired stated.
Speaking at the occasion, Founder of Millar Open University, Professor David Millar urged the NABCO beneficiaries with similar interest to forms groups and save money from their stipends to start up their own businesses thus becoming job creators instead of job seekers.
He cautioned beneficiaries to be committed and discipline in pursuit of their aspirations.
The region has 3,595 NABCO beneficiaries, out of which 1,895 are men and 1,700 are women.