Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Enugu State office of National Directorate of Employment (NDE), has flagged off the training of 51 unemployed graduates on Community Based Training Scheme (CBTS).
Speaking while declaring the event open, Director General of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Fikpo, said that the trainees should count themselves lucky to be selected for CBTS.
He also said Enugu State should count themselves lucky for being among the 18 states in the country that were selected for the three months training.
Represented by the Enugu State Coordinator of NDE, Mr Eugene Agu, Fikpo said that the organisation had the mandate to fight mass unemployment with emphasis on self reliance.
He state that NDE engaged unemployed youths in skill acquisition training, adding the beneficiaries were selected three person each across the 17 local government areas of the state.
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 urged the beneficiaries to take the exercise very seriously as there were many of their colleagues who would want to be part of the training but could not be accommodated.
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 Abdul, encouraged the beneficiaries to be serious with the training as it would not only make them to be self employed but also to be employers of labour.
Abdul, who was represented by a staff in the department, Mrs Modester Ekwu who advised them that the essence of the training was to add value to the lives of unemployed youths in the society.
In a vote of thanks, the Head of Department VSD in Enugu, Mrs Nwamaka Okonkwo, urged the participants to pay attention in the training noting that the training would take them to a greater height if they make proper use of the opportunity.
Okonkwo stressed that no skill was less than each other but is dependent on how one presents his or her work to the customers.
She enumerated the skills to include hair dressing, shoe and leather works, make-up, event management and turban/fascinator making.
While expressing their gratitude, one of the beneficiaries, Miss Uche Agu, commended NDE for choosing them among the millions of people yearning for the opportunity.
