The National Directorate of Employment (NDE), in collaboration with the Society for Family Health (SFH), on Friday commenced a three-month skills acquisition programme for 65 unemployed youths and women in Kaduna State to equip them with skills to become self-reliant and create employment opportunities for themselves and others.
The beneficiaries were drawn from seven local government areas of the state and will receive training in catering, fashion design, knitting, digital marketing and small-scale business management. The programme will also provide startup packs to beneficiaries at the end of the training to enable them to put their skills into practice.
Speaking during the commencement of the programme, the NDE Director-General, Silas Agara, said the initiative was aimed at promoting youth development and enhancing livelihoods in the state.
Agara, who was represented by the NDE Kaduna State Coordinator, Francis Ambianto, said the NDE was pleased with the collaboration with SFH and called on other stakeholders to support efforts to tackle unemployment among young people.
“The NDE is very happy with this collaboration and is calling on all other stakeholders, including National Assembly members, governors, local government chairmen and NGOs, to collaborate with the NDE to help our youths,” he said.
He said unemployment was a challenge that could not be tackled by the Federal Government and the NDE alone, stressing the need for stronger collaboration among stakeholders.
“Unemployment is something the Federal Government and NDE cannot tackle alone. There has to be synergy so that we can salvage our youths from this unemployment saga,” Agara said.
The NDE Director-General described the training as a “golden opportunity” for the beneficiaries and urged them to take the programme seriously and respect their trainers throughout the three-month period.
He also commended the Kaduna State Government for providing an enabling environment for NDE activities across the state.
Also speaking, the Group Chief Executive Officer of SFH, Dr Omokhudu Idogho, said the initiative was one of the organisation’s projects aimed at empowering young people.
Idogho, who was represented by Aisha Dadi, the Project Director for Pediatric, Adolescent, and Women Programme, said the initiative was being implemented in collaboration with government agencies.
He said a similar programme was also being implemented in Abia, Oyo and Gombe states, adding that the 65 beneficiaries in Kaduna were selected through a rigorous process carried out in collaboration with the state Ministry of Health.
According to him, the programme placed particular emphasis on empowering women, stressing that empowering women had a wider impact on families and communities.
He added that beneficiaries would receive startup packs at the end of the training to enable them to put the skills acquired into practice.
The beneficiaries expressed appreciation to the NDE and SFH, saying they would not take the opportunity for granted.
One of the beneficiaries, 26-year-old Sociology graduate Luka Sandra, said she opted for digital marketing because of the increasing relevance of digital platforms.
Sandra said she had wanted to acquire the skill for a long time but was constrained by the cost of training and the equipment required.
Another beneficiary, 24-year-old National Diploma holder John Afolabi, said he chose shoemaking because of his longstanding interest in the trade.
Afolabi said he hoped to establish his own shop after the training and eventually train others in the skill.
