2,577 youths undergoes skills acquisition program in Jigawa courtesy of NDE

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Jigawa, says it has trained 2,577 youths and women under its skills acquisition programmes in 2021.

NDE’s Coordinator, Alhaji Abubakar Jamo, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Dutse.

According to Jamo, the gesture was to provide job opportunities, reduce unemployment and restiveness amongst the youths in the state.

He stated that the move was also aimed at empowering the beneficiaries to become self-reliant and employers of labour as well as contribute to the well being of their families and economic development of the country.

The Coordinator said the beneficiaries comprising males and females were exposed to various trades between January and December, 2021.

He said that 1,356 beneficiaries were trained under the Vocational Skills Development (VSD) and 216 under the Advanced National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (A-NOAS).

The Coordinator said that 1,080 beneficiaries recieved training under the Basic Open Apprenticeship Scheme (B-NOAS) and 60 others under the Quick Fix Demand Driven Skills and School-on-Wheel (SOW).

“Some 125 of the beneficiaries are trained by the Rural Empowerment Promotion (REP) department.

“Another set of 100 beneficiaries trained under the Sustainable Agricultural Empowerment Development Scheme (SADES), 25 under the Post-Sustainable Agricultural Empowerment Development Scheme (P-SADES), and 900 others under the SSE department.

“Also; 50 of the trainees received training under the Start Your Own Business (SYOB), 180 on Basic Business, 540 on Advanced Basic Business Training, 30 on Wig and Turban Decorations and 100 on Basic Business Management.

“In addition; 193 beneficiaries were trained by the Special Public Works (SPW) department, 54 under the Environmental Beautification Training Scheme (EBTS), 25 on Solar Energy and 142 under the Graduate Attachment Program (GAP),” he said.

Jamo said that the directorate had distributed N100,000 each to selected graduates of the training programmes to enable them to set up their businesses.

“Some 30 women trained in wig and turban decoration recieved N25,000 loan each to start up their businesses,” he said

According to him, the directorate will continue to evolve new training programmes to complement government effort towards addressing unemployment and poverty eradication.