Unemployment continues to be one of the most burning macroeconomic challenges facing Nigeria today. As population growth continues to outpace output expansion, the number of people seeking jobs keep rising, however, as part of efforts to stem the tide the Special Public Works (SPW) department of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) which forms one of the four core programmes of the Directorate was designed to address the problem of unemployment among youths.
LEADERSHIP Weekend report that the federal government implemented the Medium-term National Plan (2021-2025) that sets out a blueprint for the future of Nigeria to reduce its over-dependence on crude oil, diversify the economy and increase private sector participation, however, the programme according to NDE, was designed to achieve its purpose through the provision of transient jobs and technical skills acquisition training that will promote skilled, semi-skilled and professional manpower/labour for self-employment and self-reliance.
Although the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is yet to come up with a detailed report of Nigeria’s unemployment data for two years, which analysts say the delay is not good for Africa’s biggest economy, the World Bank in its 2021 report said the unemployment rate in Nigeria rose five-fold in the last 10 years.
From 6.4 percent in 2010 to 33.3 percent at the end of 2020, the Bank said the significant increase affected Nigerian youth in their quest to find gainful employment opportunities.
However, to deliver its mandate of employment provision for Nigeria’s teeming unemployed persons, the SPW Schemes were further classified into: Graduate Attachment Programme (GAP), Graduate Special Training Programme (GSTP), Environmental Beautification Training Scheme (EBTS), Graduate Coaching Scheme (GCS), Solar Energy Training Scheme (SETS) Artisans in Collaborative Construction Employment Scheme (ACCES), Enviroprenuership Development Scheme (EDS), Labour Based and Infrastructural Development Scheme (CDS), Community Based Business Training Scheme (CBBTS).
With the full support of President Muhammadu Buhari, under the supervision of the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo SAN, and implementing directorship of the NDE’s Director-General, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, the SPW schemes have become an effective job creation tool and a decent job module. And not surprisingly, the schemes have been judged one of the most sustainable job provision solutions to arrest the scary, swelling unemployment rate in Nigeria and many other countries, especially in Africa.
The National Directorate of Employment was recently described as the hub of blue-collar jobs in Nigeria by Keyamo as a result of the relentless trajectory of the Directorate in providing self and wage employment for millions of Nigerians.
The NDE, director general, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, said the Directorate is ingeniously proffering solutions to the country’s unemployment challenge.
Stressing that NDE is geared to crash the high rate of unemployment menace in Nigeria, he said that the result-oriented job provision schemes enjoy the continued support of the President and its supervising minister.
He said, “While, testimonies of many beneficiaries of the schemes and programmes, attest to the fact that SPW is a success story that must be sustained in the efforts to combat unemployment and its ripple effects, official records have also shown that the Directorate, through the Special Public Works schemes and other job creation programmes has provided about 4,261,308 self employments and wage employments within a short period of time. The figures further show that about 2,545,102 are male while 1,716,206 are female beneficiaries, across the 36 states of the Federation and Federal Capital Territory Abuja.”
Fikpo while giving a brief insight into the nine different SPW schemes explained what Nigerians need to know about them. He said, ‘’The programmes are Graduate Attachment Programme designed to provide transient employment to unemployed graduates of tertiary institutions.
He said the unemployed graduates are recruited and attached to willing corporate organizations for a period of three to twelve months to gain needed practical experience that would facilitate their employability by the organisation on or before the expiration of the internship period.
On Environmental Beautification Training Scheme (EBTS) he said, “The scheme is for the training of unemployed persons in Soft/Hard Landscaping and Plaster of Paris (POP) for a period of three months. Participants are attached to master trainers to ensure that they acquire professional skills in Environmental Beautification, Sanitation and protection/control of the environment. At the end of the training period, the participants are empowered with working tools and equipment to start their own business.’’
He added that the scheme is targeted at school leavers, the unschooled and any other interested persons, graduates inclusive.
He said the Graduate Coaching Scheme creates transient and permanent/sustainable employment for the unemployed graduates of tertiary institutions, especially those with educational training(professional teachers) background.
Fikpo said that the graduates are recruited as instructors to prepare students who may be deficient in some subjects for various external examinations such as JAMB, WAEC/NECO, NABTEB, GCE, etc. for a period of three months.
He said this will enable the students to make up for their deficiency in various subjects and also qualify them for admission into higher institutions of learning.
Speaking on Solar Energy Training Scheme, he said the scheme is one of the Renewable Energy Training schemes employed by the Special Public Works Department for employment generation.
Under the scheme, he said unemployed graduates of tertiary institutions (especially those with engineering/technical knowledge) are trained to acquire skills in solar energy design, procurement, installation, and maintenance of solar facilities.
He stressed that the Scheme is targeted at graduates of training institutions and other interested persons with technical backgrounds.
Also, he said the Graduate Special Training Programme (GSTP) is for graduates of tertiary institutions. It involves a two-week digital skills training on specialized applications relevant to skills needed in specific careers or professional practices.
‘’The skill sets include; Autodesk, project management, hardware installations for example dish and satellite installations, V–Sat and internet installations, and Networking. At the end of the training, participants are attached to well-managed small and medium enterprises for a period of three to six months to develop competence in the learnt skills.
“The training prepares participants to possess skills relevant to meet demands for the job, function effectively and succeed in the technology-based millennium workplace. Competence in these skills confers on the holder a competitive edge in securing employment and/or starting a business,’’ he said.
He said, ‘’The Artisans in Collaborative Construction Employment Scheme is a scheme designed to collaborate with relevant stakeholders and organizations in the construction sector where standards of various professions are imbibed. The scheme is also targeted at imparting industry-led competency skills as well as providing required certification to artisans under appropriate professional bodies, while the Enviroprenuership Development Scheme is designed to combat unemployment among youths by bringing market principles to resolve environmental problems. It is aimed at improving environmental sustainability and social contribution to the society. Business initiatives are applied to turn waste into wealth to improve the standard of living of both the end consumers and the participants.
‘’Labour Based and Infrastructural Development Scheme (CDS) is designed to facilitate the engagement and training of unemployed persons in the construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of various types of infrastructure. This is archived by adopting the labour-based method of infrastructural development, thus making optimal use of labour supported by compactable light equipment.
‘’The scheme offers participants the opportunity to develop their skills and work experience. Additional job creation, wealth creation, and infrastructure development is archived within the benefiting communities.”
He stressed that the scheme’s Community Based Business Training Scheme was designed to train unemployed persons in businesses that have comparative advantage in selected communities.
Fikpo said it focuses on social, structural, and physical environmental inequalities through the active involvement of community members, organizational representatives, and employers of labour.
“Partners/members of community-based businesses contribute their expertise to enhance understanding of a given business phenomenon and to translate knowledge into action.
‘’Community-based businesses are socially and environmentally responsible where they are driven by the desire to re-invest in the community as a way to strengthen it, where collaboration, partnership, advocacy, and co-creation are top values,’’ he added.
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