Mr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, the Mayor of Accra, on Monday called on beneficiaries of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) under health extension to take advantage of the opportunity given them to acquire productive skills.
He said the programme would help them acquire the needed skills to assist nurses and doctors in health delivery.
Mr Vanderpuije had visited some training centres in Accra to welcome the beneficiaries into the programme and encourage them to live up to expectation.
He said there was the need to provide various opportunities for the youth since most of them had the skills and talents and only needed to be prepared for the job market in order to support national development.
According to Mr Vanderpuije, the beneficiaries would be engaged in both theory and practical exercises in nursing, pharmacology and laboratory assistance for two years and later deployed to assist doctors and nurses.
He noted that doctors and nurses needed assistance during work and the training would bring out more hands in the health sector to contribute to nation building.
Mr Vanderpuije said the NYEP would continue to create more opportunities for the youth adding that this would help them build their capacity for gainful employment in the near future.
He urged the beneficiaries to take advantage of the opportunity, stay focused and work with their instructors to deliver good quality service after their training.
Mr Solomon Nii Afutu Quartey, Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinator of NYEP, said 2,500 people were expected to benefit from the programme in Accra. They were expected to be trained by doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory officers.
He encouraged them to see the programme as a personal opportunity to help their families, friends, communities and nation at large and learn hard to gain the necessary skills to become productive citizens.