By: Mustapha JarjuThe National Youth Service Scheme (NYSS) on Wednesday 30 August 2023, officially kickstarted an orientation program for the youth service graduate program 2023/2024.
The orientation program aims to prepare young people and give them the necessary technical skills required in the world of work with opportunities to transform various working institutions.
Addressing the participants at the President`s International Award Conference Hall in Bakau, the Minister of Youth and Sport, Bakary Badjie, said the program is an opportunity for the participants to learn and be able to implement what they have learned and apply the values learned during the two weeks.
‘’This will be done in collaboration with partners, especially the University of The Gambia and other actors with the focus of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in helping and creating the enabling environment for decent employment opportunities,’’Badjie stated.
Minister Badjie gave the assurance of his ministry’s continuous support in the programs of the NYSS to enable young people to acquire technical knowledge to have decent employment opportunities in The Gambia and outside the country.
A representative from the UDNDP, Lamin Darboe, told the participants that taking the initiative effectively will not only make them ambassadors of the NYSS, UTG, or MOYS but will give them the opportunity to raise the Gambian flag as patriotic citizens, who believe that they are the change that this country has been waiting for.The Executive Director of NYSS, Abbas Bah, highlighted the program’s significance, saying it will help build the attitudes and behaviors of the young people, who will be lucky to be deployed to various institutions for 12 months of internship to explore their talents
“We want young people to learn skills so that by the end of the day they can be able to work with any of the employment agencies that will need their skills. We believe that lack of experience is actually hindering a lot of opportunities for young graduates and that is what we want to tackle,’’ said the NYSS executive director.
The NYSS Youth Service program with support from the Ministry of Youth and Sport (MOYS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has brought together nearly 100 young people from different departments.