Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) Enugu State office, has flagged-off the training of 50 youths on Basic National Open Apprenticeship Scheme( BNOAS).
Declaring the event open, Director General of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Fikpo, said that Enugu State should count themselves lucky for being among the 12 states in the country that were selected for the three months training.
Fikpo, who was represented by NDE State Coordinator Enugu, Mr Eugene Agu, hinted that organisation had the mandate to fight mass unemployment with emphasis on self reliance, adding that NDE engaged unemployed youths in skill acquisition training.
Fikpo, however, said that NDE under Vocational Skill Department (VSD) had decided to organise this training which aimed at equipping the participants with the necessary skills needed to survive in the current harsh economic realities.
The DG explained that the beneficiaries would enjoy the privilege of not only being their own bosses but also employers of labour.
He applauded the Enugu State Government for the wonderful cooperation and support given to the directorate.
In the same vein, the Director of VSD, Mr Isa Abdu, encouraged the beneficiaries to be serious minded and respectful to the trainers to enable them achieve the best they could achieve.
Abdu, who was represented by a staff in the department, Mrs Agnes Ogbaga, urged them to be humble and appreciative of their customers saying that customers are the only thing that would keep them in the business.
In a vote of thanks,the Head of Department VSD in Enugu, Mrs Nwamaka Okonkwo, urged the participants to take the exercise seriously as there were many of their colleagues who would want to be part of the training but could not be accommodated.
Okonkwo advised the beneficiaries to put in their best in the training to achieve desired results.
While expressing their gratitude, one of the beneficiaries, Mrs Gloria Eze, commended NDE for choosing them among the millions of people yearning for the opportunity.
She assured the directorate that they would make them proud in their various areas of specialty.