The Chief Executive Officer of Bilkiss Zulkarnain Fashion School at Sakafia in the Asokore Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region, Madam Bilkiss Zulkarnain, has called on government through the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) to provide adequate start-up tools for young fashion apprentices to enable them establish their own fashion centres.
Speaking to journalists in an exclusive interview at school premises in Sakafia, Madam Zulkarnain said the lack of basic tools and equipment remains a major challenge confronting many young graduates after completing their apprenticeship in fashion and dressmaking.
According to her, although many young people have acquired employable skills through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), they are unable to start their own businesses due to the high cost of industrial sewing machines, overlock machines, pressing tools and other essential equipment.
She noted that if government, through the YEA and other relevant youth support programmes, provides these start-up kits and tools, it would empower the youth to become self-employed and economically independent.
Madam Zulkarnain explained that such support would not only reduce youth unemployment but also help the country produce high-quality, locally-made clothes that meet international standards.
“We can sew clothes that meet international standards if we are given the right tools. This will reduce the cost of importation of sewn clothes and second-hand clothing from outside the country,” she said.
She further maintained that boosting local garment production would significantly reduce the demand for foreign currency used in importing clothing and travelling outside the country to purchase materials and finished products, thereby strengthening the local economy.
On education, the CEO used the opportunity to appeal to parents and guardians to encourage their children and wards to embrace TVET education instead of focusing solely on grammar-based academic pathways.
She stressed that TVET offers practical skills that guarantee employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, and has the potential to transform the fortunes of young people and the nation as a whole.
Madam Bilkiss Zulkarnain reiterated her commitment to training more youth in fashion and entreated all stakeholders, including government, NGOs and private sector players, to invest in vocational training as a sustainable solution to unemployment in Ghana.
