TUC General Secretary, Yaw Baah

The Trade Union Congress has  questioned  Government over the implementation of  the "Nation Builders Corps” programme, which is meant to reverse graduate unemployment.

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced the policy during the presentation of the 2018 budget to Parliament, projecting the initiative will put 100,000 graduates to work by the close of 2018.

But the TUC wants to know the "details of the programme," describing it as "the most ambitious jobs programme," meant to deal with “most critical economic challenge.”

"We do not know the details of the programme yet," the Secretary General of the TUC, Dr Yaw Baah,  said  in a press statement.

"For example, how many years will the programme employ the graduates? Is it going to be one year like the National Service Scheme? These are but a few of the important questions that need to be addressed as government prepares to rollout the programme in 2018."

The Minority in Parliament has cast doubts on the success of the "Nation Builders Corps” labeling  it  a ‘jobs-for-the-boys’ initiative which will be skewed to favour supporters of the ruling party.

But while commending Government for the  "bold initiative" the TUC  wants the government to shed more light on the sustainability of the policy.

It has called  for the strengthening of the domestic private sector, which it says will absorb beneficiaries of the policy.

"......... while we commend government for this bold initiative, we would also like to draw attention to the obstacles that continue to impede the growth of the private sector and its ability to create decent jobs, the TUC said.

"The 100,000 graduates that will be employed in 2018 will at some point have to transit into the mainstream labour market after they have acquired further skills and experience so that others can also benefit from the programme."

"Strengthening the domestic private sector to absorb the beneficiaries of the Nation Builders Corps Programme will ease that transition," it added.

By Fiifi Abdul Malik/ghanaguardian.com