Akwa Ibom State Government in partnership with the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP) has trained 200 youths across the state in different trade areas to facilitate the transformation of growing unemployed youth population into national assets.
Governor Udom Emmanuel, at the closing ceremony of the 2022 National Industrial Skills Development Programme, stated that the training is invaluable, connecting them to a network which will provide a lifelong career path and sought after skills which will set them apart in today competitive job market.
Governor Emmanuel who spoke through his Commissioner for Labour and Manpower Planning, Elder Aniefiok Nkom expressed belief that the training will impact knowledge and practical skills needed by industries and government, adding that Government provided support to ensure that all trainees were well equipped.
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” I urge you the participants to imbibe the productive spirit to ensure you are gainfully engaged in productive ventures that will enable you to become independent, capable of earning a living to support your families”, he said.
Elder Nkom admonished them to desist from the dependency culture which he said is eating deep into the fabric of our society but to lean on the hard work and determination to succeed.
The Commissioner who was represented by his director of Admin, Mrs. Offiong Okon congratulated the trainees for the successful completion of the programme and encouraged them to be good ambassadors of the State as they put their skills into use in the productive sector of the economy and added that they will in turn train others to take away some unemployed youths from the streets.
Earlier, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Industrial Training Fund, Sir Joseph Ari in his address stated that the Industrial Training Fund has over the years developed numerous skills intervention programmes to promote entrepreneurships, employability, job and wealth creation to reduce youth restiveness and also promote the diversification of the Nigerian economy in line with the Federal Government’s policy.
Sir Ari futher stated that the programme which is specifically designed to breed a new generation of entrepreneurs in order to transform the economic landscape of the country has equipped over 500,000 Nigerians nationwide and over 20,000 from Akwa Ibom State.
The training which he said lasted for 3 months comprised of theoretical, practical and entrepreneurial aspects and equipped with skills in 5 trade areas to include tiling and laying of interlocking blocks, plumbing and pipe fitting, hair dressing, aluminium fabrication and solar power installation.
He thanked Governor Udom Emmanuel for being instrumental to the successes that Industrial Training Fund has recorded in implementing its various skills acquisition programmes over the years and expressed appreciation to Akwa Ibom State Government for sponsoring 80 youths out of the 200 youths that were trained.
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He added that this will equip them with the necessary skills and attitude for them to thrive as employees and entrepreneurs, as trades they have acquired will always be needed.
He reiterated that the commitment to skills acquisition is premised on the fact that it remians the most viable and sustainable solutions to rising unemployment and poverty that have continued to defy the best efforts of Governmental and non-Governmental approaches.
He appealed to the State Government, Organized Private sector, None Governmental Organisations(NGO), faith based Organisations, politicians and other stakeholders to consolidate the relationship with the ITF in the efforts to train Nigerians by way of sponsorship or buying of start up packs for trainees and added that only through such collaborations will unemployment be eradicated from the Nigerian environment.
