Baffour Awuah expecting the ongoing Odumase Public Employment Centres
Member of Parliament for Sunyani West Constituency, Ignatius Baffour Awuah yesterday inspected the ongoing Odumase Public Employment Centre in the Bono Region.
The project funded by the World Bank, forms part of the government’s aim of providing a conducive environment to host the Ghana Labour Market Information System (GLMIS) which is also being developed under the project.
The GLMIS is a digital marketing avenue where job seekers can access information on where to connect with employers in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy.
It will generate statistics on employment and unemployment rates in the country, the availability of artisanal workers like carpenters, masons, and auto mechanics, and where to connect them through government agents at the centre.
Part of one of the 16 regional public employment centres, the Odumase project is about 35 percent complete and expected to be completed in a space of six months.
Baffour Awuah in interaction with a journalist stated that as part of government efforts to inform the public about the availability of jobs, unemployed youth, including skilled, unskilled, and graduates of universities and technical universities at the end of this year, can now visit what are called job market centers where they can connect with employers.
To this, Mr. Awuah who doubles as Minister for Employment, and Labour Relations, further indicated that the centres are to be constructed in all districts of the country but initially constructed sixteen in all regional capitals to make it accessible to job seekers.
“Work started on them in June this year and each storey office complex costs $4m. It is a place where job seekers can come and enquire about job availability and be connected to entrepreneurs who are also looking for workers,” he said.
He later expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done so far but only worried that the office building was too small for its operations.
“The construction of the centers will not necessarily solve all labour issues but it is going to streamline labour issues. In short, it is going to be a marketplace for job seekers and employers” he added.
The minister further tasked the contractor to increase the pace of work to meet the scheduled time.
The consulting architect, Ghana Jobs and Skills Project, Michael Amoah said apart from the centre connecting employers to job seekers the centres will also serve as a place for offering counsel on job-related issues such as entrepreneurship and other job information that shall enhance their employability.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Odumase