BENIN CITY: Edo State Government in collaboration with Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has flagged off the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP) to train 500 youths between the ages of 18 to 35 years in the areas of Information Communication Technology (ITF), Fashion Design, Pastry, Welding and fabrication.
Obaseki who flagged off the programme said the initiative of training youths into employable skills is in line with the aspiration of his administration. “This flag off is inline with the aspiration of my administration and it is in realization of the strategic plan that will assist this government in its determination to create a minimum of 200,000 jobs for the people of the state”.
Governor Godwin Obaseki represented by the Secretary to Edo State Government (SSG) Barr. Osarodion Ogie said he is impressed with the programme with the objectives of developing technical, vocational and managerial skills for Industry in Nigeria.
He said training programme of this nature will reduce the number of jobless youths and increase the number of entrepreneur. “I congratulate you and see you as part of those 200,000 entrepreneurs that our administration intends to create in the state. I see you as employers of labour. In another six months you all will become entrepreneur in the state creating jobs for others”.
Obaseki used the occasion to commend the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria President Muhamad Buhari for the laudable policies his administration has initiated especially those geared towards the youths which remain a very critical segment of the nation’s population. He said there is urgent need to engage the youths in skills acquisition programme such as the NISDP. “I equally commend the ITF for its foresight in initiating a purposeful value driven activities. As a government, we are open to positive collaboration that would empower our women and youths with vocational skills”.
He assured the trainee that his administration will give all the support needed during and after the programme to ensure they have positive effect on the economy of the state.
Earlier, the Director-General/Chief Executive of ITF Sir Joseph Ari said the lack of gainful engagement has occasioned the rise in crime rate and other vices amongst them.
The Chief Executive of ITF who was presented by Director Research and Curriculum Development Department Folorunsho Samuel appreciated the state governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki who has demonstrated his irrevocable belief that the most sustainable solution to combating unemployment, reducing poverty, achieving growth and in deed successfully negotiating and eventually overcoming the prevailing economic recession, is contingent on our ability as institutions and governments at all levels to equip as many Nigerians as possible with technical vocational skills for employability and entrepreneurship.
He said since inception, the programme has trained 84,100 Nigerians in over 30 trade areas most of the beneficiaries of the programme are either gainfully employed or very successful enterprenuers. “In Edo State, 500 youths age 18 to 35 years will be impacted with skills. It is noteworthy that the selected trades and craft were chosen based on their projected value addition to the beneficiaries and their potentialities to provide sustainable means of livelihood for the trainee on graduation”.
The area Manager of the ITF Benin Area Onajite Ejekukor said the NISDP commenced training after the successful take off in the three Senatorial District of Edo State Simultaneously on the 7th of March 2017. He said Technical Skills Training Centers were selected from the three Senatorial District of Edo State to provide training for 500 youths of the state in the trade areas of ICT, pastry, Fashion Design, Welding and Fabrication.
“We hereby want to affirm our commitment to the conduct of the NISDP with high sense of responsibility. The trainees are all expected to attain 80 percent of attendance to completely graduate from these training. In order to ensure the effectiveness of the NISDP Training, the ITF has put in place mechanism for tracking and monitoring of the trainees and the master craftsmen and master craft women for effective skills delivery”.
Responding on behalf of the training Miss Ekeogene Gift a final year student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) who is undergoing training on pastry thanked the Federal and State Government alongside the ITF for organizing a programme of this nature that will go a long way to help the youths and reduce crime in the society. She promise to put in her best and make maximal use of it and become employers of labour contributing her quota to the development of the society.
