By Ijeoma Obioma in Makurdi.
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Benue State has trained 30 young people on various entrepreneurship skills.
The flag-off and orientation of the training for the 30 participants who are unemployed persons was meant to enable them acquire marketable skills.
NDE Director -General, Alhaji Abubakar Fikpo in his keynote address at the weekend, noted that the programme of Youth Transformation Training Scheme (YTTS) in Technical and Vocational Studies was in tandem with the Vocational Skills Development (VSD) department of the NDE involved in the second phase of the development of entrepreneurial abilities among youths.
Fikpo who was represented by the Benue State Co-ordinator, Akile Patrick, said that the NDE is aware of the huge challenge of unemployment and therefore designed the scheme to arm participants with the required skills to survive the current economic situation in the state and country at large.
“The training duration varies from six to 18 months depending on the skill,” he said.
The DG added that the training was part of efforts of the Directorate to address the menace of unemployment while charging the participants to demonstrate a high sense of committment as the training were a stepping stone to greater things to come.
Nuhu Umar, who represented the VSD Director at the headquarters of the NDE stressed the need for participants to exhibit confidence in their learning process as they make efforts to develop their skills to the next level.
On her part, the Head of Department (HOD), Vocational Skill Development, Ene Awosika, appealed to the trainees to be serious with the opportunity availed them by the federal government because there are no white collar jobs anywhere.
A participant, Victoria Oche, on behalf of her colleagues thanked the NDE for the opportunity given them to become self reliant and better people in the society.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
