The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige on Thursday stated that the Federal Government remains committed to its vision of bridging the unemployment gap for the nation’s teeming youths through its nationwide training for youths, adding that the second batch of the training will soon commence.
Dr Ngige represented by Mr Oladipupo Abayomi, a project coordinator in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, made this known in Ibadan, during the graduation and certificate presentation ceremony to 100 youths that are beneficiaries of the 2021 nationwide training of youths in the South-West by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The minister said though the first batch of the training was done in geopolitical zones with the ministry training 100 youths in each zone, the second training will reach more youths as it will now be done in every state of the federation.
He urged beneficiaries to use what they had learnt to touch lives, emphasising that the scheme is set up on a step-down basis and every beneficiary must ensure they not only use what they had learnt to empower themselves financially, they must ensure they teach others the skill to ensure more people get skills that will allow them to have financial independence.
“The ministry is interested majorly in impact; we will look out for who uses the skill as a source of livelihood and those who train others to set them on the part of financial independence. We are interested in the impact you make on others and the society as a whole, I enjoin you to make good use of the opportunity because the second batch of training will be for new people.
“I want you to develop the skill you have acquired and be good ambassadors of the scheme. Don’t be selfish in imparting knowledge and be diligent in all you do,” he advised the beneficiaries.
In his welcome address, the Oyo state Controller, Mr Clement Fatoki, said the basic aim of the intervention by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Labour and Employment, is to bridge the unemployment gap in the country through skills acquisition strategy having seen unemployment as a major challenge to the peace and stability of the country.
“The programme is thus to complement the inadequacies of the formal sector, having identified the informal sector as the major driving force of most developing countries. It is thus our belief that by this training, graduands will also start adding value and thus contribute their quotas to the development of our country,” he said.
He emphasised that the programme is to transform lives, scale down unemployment and boost financial empowerment while adequately engaging youths and challenging beneficiaries to protect the image of the ministry as its product, be good ambassadors of the scheme, but what they have learnt into practice and teach others for skill upgrading.
The beneficiaries were given skill acquisition and set on the path of startup inn vocations like fashion and garment making, soap, cream and candle making, phone repair, cosmetology, satellite dish installation, POP moulding, catering and hotel management and hairdressing and body care.
