By Rachel Kakraba
The National Service Scheme is to launch an Employability Platform for Service Personnel yet to secure jobs after their service, to secure permanent jobs. The platform, which will be a one stop shop for employers will ensure personnel secure jobs in a stress-free manner.
“All those who are done with their national service, but not ready to further their education, we will rope them unto the employability Platform so that at least those who are looking for people to hire, will then see it so they can just go and shop on our platform”.
The Executive Director of the National Service Secretariat, Osei Assibey Antwi, disclosed this during a tour to NSS registration centers for new Service Personnel.
He said it will be a way to solve Ghana’s unemployment challenges by linking personnel to the right jobs and vice-versa.
Interacting with some prospective personnel, Mr. Assibey Antwi advised them to give off their best wherever they find themselves.
He said national service is an opportunity to gain practical knowledge, adding they should discharge their duties selflessly.
Registration for the 2022/2023, service year, which includes, printing of appointment letters by personnel and endorsements by respective user agencies, commenced on Monday, October 17, while validation at all regional centres across the country begun on Monday, October 24 and will continue till Friday, December 30, to accommodate prospective service personnel who are yet to complete their academic programmes.
To minimize excessive crowding at the validation centres, all national service personnel scheduled appointments online for the exercise.
Registration centres were further decentralized to enable personnel to go through the registration without the usual hassle that characterizes the exercise.
The Executive Director and his team first visited La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly NSS registration center.
Then to the Greater Accra Regional office of the NSS, at Abelenkpe and finally to the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly registration center at circle. At all the three places visited, registration was ongoing in a smooth manner.
Banks were also strategically positioned at all the places to provide comfort to applicants to acquire E-ZWICH card.
Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi, said the scheme this year is focusing on entrepreneurship to reduce the unemployment rate in the country.
“Those who did Agric, there is good news for them, because they have had two areas of concern and the areas of concern is about practicality. So those who are going to go into our own Farms, for one good year, they will be taken through the practical learning. As soon as they are done, those who want to take the farming as a profession we are going to ensure that we give them land and we will support them to have farms on their own”.
Mr. Assibey Antwi said personnel deployed to the teaching sector will benefit from pedagogical training this year. This he noted is novel to the 2022/2023 Service Personnel.
“It only this batch that are going to be taken through pedagogic training and by the time that they are done with their service because of the training that are going to be offered to them, they will be offered certificate that will instil in them that they are professional teachers. About six thousands of those who are going to the senior high schools they will benefit from this novelty.
He said ICT is another area the service will be exploring to give “Another area of concern is going to be ICT, we have a vast areas of institutions that are partnering with us, that will offer you a lot of training”.
Prospective Service Personnel who spoke to GBCGHANAONLINE were happy about the process.
National service, which is mandatory gives fresh graduates hands on training after tertiary education.
A total of one hundred and fifteen thousand, two hundred and forty prospective national service personnel will from today commence undertaking their mandatory national service for the 2022/2023 service year.
