About twenty thousand youths have been equipped with employability and enterpreneurship skills in Cross River State, to assist them become self-reliant rather than roam the streets in search of jobs that may not be in existence.
The skills given to the benefiaries would help in the promotion of wealth creation, reduce youth restiveness and promote diversification of Nigeria’s economy in line with federal government’s policy, which is aimed at transforming the nation’s econmic landscape.
Director-General of Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Sir Joseph Ari, disclosed this while speaking at the closing ceremony of the 2022 ITF Skill Intervention programme, which took place on Thursday in Calabar, the State capital.
Ari stated that the Fund under National Industrial Skill Development Programme (NISDP), and Agri-preneurship Skill Empowerement Programme (AgSEP), has also equipped over 50,000 Nigerians nationwide, stressing that the closing ceremony was being replicated across the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Representing the ITF DG, Director Field Services, Mr. Akpan Idongesit, stated that about 255 youths have so far been trained in the area of solar power installation, tiling and laying of interlocking blocks and integrated farming.
The ITF DG further stated that the skills acquisition training impacted on benefiaries would help in the reduction of youth restiveness and several other deviant behaviours constituting nuisance to the society.
“We believe that given the intensity and the very practical nature of training, which was 80 per cent practical, 20 per cent theory, they were equipped with neccesary skills and attitudes for them to thrive as employees or as entrepreneurs.
“When tied with the trades, which were chosen after careful and indepth need analysis of thier localities, we have no doubt they will thrive, as trades they have learned will always be needed,” he explained.
He added that the skills acquisition programme was premised on the fact that it remains the most viable and sustainable solution to rising unemployment and poverty that have continued to defy best efforts of government and non-governmental approaches
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