NAN-ND-2
Training
By Ayodeji Alabi
Akure, Nov.20, 2016 (NAN) Mr Mayowa Aliu, State Coordinator, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Ondo State, said the directorate had trained 580 youths in the state in the last four months.
Aliu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure on Sunday that the training programme was organised under four different categories.
He said that 125 junior and senior secondary school students were trained under the school-to-work quick-win scheme for about two months.
“We also trained 25 youths in environmental beautification and 25 also in hard and soft landscaping for a period of three months.
“Under the Basic National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (BNOAS), we trained 360 people in cosmetology, tiling, basic electrical works, hairdressing, shoe and bag making, catering services and others.
“Another group of 45 persons are still undergoing training under another scheme,” he said.
Aliu further said that one of the challenges the directorate was facing was irregular payment of stipends to the participants of the skill acquisition schemes.
He also said the programme involved provision of money, facilities and equipment to the participants some of whom were expected to pay for them.
“After the training we usually provide take-off grants for some of the trainees and expect the parents and guardians to provide capital for the rest.
“We also introduce them to the Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture, and other financial institutions to enable them to source for capital,” he said.
Aliu said that post training assistance was also given to the beneficiaries in terms of mentoring and entrepreneurial training.
“We expose some of the trainees to bigger markets and trade fairs; they participate in such other activities because it is in our interest.
“We also get feedback from them afterward and this is done by a team from the headquarters who administer questionnaires to the respondents,” he said. (NAN)
AYO/EMO/AMY
Edited by Ejike Obeta and Abdullahi Yusuf