The National Service Scheme (NSS) has introduced new modules where the personnel will be trained into competitive industry leaders in tourism, information technology, building and construction, agribusiness and industries, among others, as part of efforts to make national service personnel global entrepreneurs to create wealth and jobs and also ready for the world of work.
The idea, called “Deployment for Employment,” has already started and represents a new strategic tack away from the established “Mobilization for Deployment” model.
When the plan was given the opportunity to provide the “State of the Agency Report,” Osei Assibey Antwi, the NSS Executive Director, revealed this.
The Information Ministry organized a press conference on December 6, 2022, for state agencies to inform the public about their activities. The NSS director spoke to the media on the subject, “NSS: An agent for Ghana’s socio-economic growth and development.”
The NSS/Teaching Program, NSS/Youth in Housing and Construction, NSS/MSME Accounting Aid Program, NSS/MOTAC Support Program, NSS/Data & Research Project, NSS/Youth in Agriculture, and NSS/IT Solutions Program are just a few of the innovations that Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi mentioned as improvements to the scheme.
The Executive Director made a point of pointing out that the paradigm shift took into account the level of unemployment rates and, as a result, personnel were deployed for a year to agencies and modules that will offer opportunities for permanent employment as well as entrepreneurial and job-related skills.
The new strategic move, according to him, is intended to reposition the program to retain some of its employees after they complete their national service and also ensure that those who left for the workforce were capable and prepared to start their own businesses, hire others, and will also be healthy and ready for employment.
According to Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi, the goal was to give the thronging youth the confidence to start their own business while still serving in the military.
He said that doing this will enable them to be independent, hardworking, and effective after their service.
The young Ghanaian graduate is anticipated to embrace the concept of entrepreneurship by locating profitable business opportunities inside the country’s economy and using its potential for exploration.
The Executive Director said that his first success came in 2021–2022, when he implemented the government’s digitization program and enjoyed huge advantages.
“I used the Metric App to filter out over 14,000 names from the list of people enlisting for the national service using only mobile phones. The Vice President publicly acknowledged this one-off instance of digitization’s ability to save the country GHC112 million, adding, “The App, the first of its type, is a facial recognition.”
Programmes/modules
NSS/MOTAC SUPPORT
“The NSS-MOTAC Support Programme is an annual pool of 1,000 graduates trained and deployed to the tourism and hospitality industry to offer business support services to enhance their profitability.
It has supported the tourism industry in boosting service delivery in hotels, restaurants, museums, forts, and castles, among other things.
“This programme leverages technology, gender diversity, inclusivity, and astute training models to equip tourism enterprises to achieve customer intimacy, operational and marketing excellence, and profitability,” he said.
NSS/MSME ACCOUNTING AID PROGRAM
The NSS Executive Director also mentioned that the GNSS MSME Accounting Aid Programme seeks to train 2,000 – 10,000 graduates in Accounting, Marketing, IT, Purchasing and Supply Management to offer Business Support Services to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises annually.
It is aimed at assisting MSMEs to enhance their financial management practices by providing Professional Accounting Services by the service personnel.
The support, he explained, will culminate in proper bookkeeping that can facilitate credit accessibility, business performance tracking, cash flow management, employment creation, and business sustainability for the MSME owners.
NSS/TEACHING PROGRAM
Currently, 6,000 graduates are undergoing pedagogic training to enhance efficient facilitation in the classroom.
He mentioned that the GNSS/Teaching Programme is a collaboration to train untrained national service personnel posted as teachers towards awarding temporary certificates to permit personnel to practice as teachers.
“There is a law in this country which frowns on teaching without pedagogic training. We have linked up with National Teaching Council (NTC), which is developing the curriculum that will be used for the short training.
NSS DATA & RESEARCH PROJECT
The establishment of nationwide Research & Data Centres to offer services to individuals and organizations. Mr Osei Assibey Antwi explained that the Scheme recognizes the enormous benefits of a well-established and resourced data and research unit in contemporary times.
“As a strategically positioned government agency with up-to-date information on all deployment statistics, the Scheme is well placed in the provision of accurate data on graduate employability, industrial demand vis-à-vis available skill set as well as assist relevant public and private institutions in the formulation of youth-related policies,” he explained.
He said modalities towards the commencement of a research desk are in progress and that I’ve wanted to make research experts available to corporate bodies in need of their services.
Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi said this pool of researchers would be responsible for conducting several research on issues of national importance.
NSS/ YOUTH IN AGRICULTURE
“As part of our initiative to promote food security and help reduce the importation of maize, rice, soybeans, poultry and fish, the Scheme has negotiated with the Kumawu Traditional Council to release 50,000 acres of arable land for the project.” Mr. Osei Asibbey Antwi said. The intention is to have a modern commercial farm enclave to serve as a training and demonstration farm to equip the youth in Good Agronomic Practices.
The NSS boss said that this project would train 40,000 NSS youth in Agribusiness and Ag-Adjacent sectors in 4 years and create 60,000 Direct and Indirect jobs for NSS Youth in the agribusiness sector.
Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi said that Aquaculture is another sector where the Scheme is partnering with other agencies to create employment. He stressed that the Scheme currently has a fish pond that can accommodate about 6,000 fingerlings and cages on the Volta Lake and in Dawhenya that can support catfish and tilapia rearing”.
Source: newsthemegh.com