Fifteen out of twenty young ladies who were enrolled onto the AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine is four-year Girls Apprenticeship Programme in dressmaking have graduated with accreditation from the Ghana National Tailors and Dressmakers Association (GNTDA) and the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI). The graduation ceremony took place at the Teberebie Vocational Centre in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality. Family members and friends of the graduands graced the occasion. The beneficiaries who graduated were given sewing machines and accessories to help them start their own businesses. Speaking at the ceremony, which was used to welcome a new cohort of twenty young women onto the Mines flagship programme, Mr Stephen Adjei, Manager-Sustainability, explained that the beneficiaries were taken through a rigorous four-year training in tailoring, dressmaking, beading, knitting, overlocking, embroidery, and general fashion design. He said to ensure the success of the programme, the Mine provided the necessa ry equipment for their training, including sewing machines, fabrics, as well as free access to boarding their employee buses from their various communities to the training centre. In addition, Mr Adjei said they have established an ultra-modern vocational centre with a business unit fully furnished with industrial equipment for commercial garment production. 'Through this dressmaking apprenticeship programme, we seek not only to equip young women with valuable skills but also to inspire a sense of independence, creativity and entrepreneurship, as part of efforts to fostering sustainable development and enhancing the well-being of the communities around us' he explained. He expressed appreciation to Nana Aba Kwansima I, the consultant and trainer, for the excellent work she had done on this capacity-building apprenticeship programme. Mr Adjei was convinced that with the investment and resources that had gone into the four-year training programme would go a long way in supporting youth development and econo mic empowerment in its host communities 'To the graduands, let your work reflect your dedication, creativity, and desire to make a difference and the inductees, embrace this opportunity with open hearts and eager minds. Your dream has brought you here, but it is your determination that will carry you forward' he advised Mr Benjamin Kessie, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Tarkwa Nsuaem, thanked Iduapriem Mine for the clever work done in helping their host communities and beyond. He appealed to the young ladies to ensure they put the skills acquired to beneficial use for them to be beneficial to them and their families in future. Mr Kessie directed the Municipal Director of National Youth Authority (NYA), Mr Benjamin Teye Aborbi, who attended the ceremony to find out why five of the ladies failed to complete the training, stressed that this kind of attitude would not entice the Mine to increase the number of beneficiaries. Source: Ghana News Agency