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From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Federal Government has trained 1850 unemployed youths, in the 2nd phase of Techno-Cultural Craft Scheme (TECRATS) and Quick-Fx Demand Driven scheme (QFDDS) of Vocational Skills Development (VSD) across the country.
Director General, National Directorate of Employment, (NDE), Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo stated this at the opening ceremony for the TECRATS and QFDDS of VSD in Asaba, Delta State.
The skills include cloth weaving (Akwette, Aso Oke), basket and mat weaving, wood carving/sculpture, pottery, rattan works, cap/hat weaving, batik/tie and dye, calabash craft and boat building.
Others are bead stringing/wire works, beauty therapy/tying of gele, barbing, cosmetology/soap making, confectionary (small chops), vulcanizing and interior decoration/soft finishing.
Fikpo said the training was another milestone achieved by the Federal Government through NDE to empower unemployed persons who want to be self-employed and self-reliant.
He said the NDE, in its efforts to create employment opportunities for the teaming unemployed youths, designed TECRATS towards revamping the practice of indigenous cultural crafts.
According to him, with the successful implementation of the first phase of the Quick Fix Demand Driven Scheme training for 1,850 persons across the 36 states and the FCT , approval was received to recruit and train another set of 1,850 unemployed persons nationwide.
He said the trainings are aimed at imparting skills on unemployed persons to enable them become skilled and proficient enough to earn a living and contribute positively towards the economic growth of the society.
He noted the skill is targeted at unskilled unemployed women and youths and 50 persons per state would be trained in each of the schemes (Quick –Fix and Techno- cultural Craft).
He urged the youths within the state to utilize this opportunity at their door step to be useful to their family, community, and the nation at large.
Delta State acting coordinator of NDE, Mr. Onyogu Silvanus expressed belief that the indigenous cultural craft has the potential to provide gainful employment to the unemployed persons in the country, particularly in the rural areas where it has high attraction and opportunity for foreign exchange.
Onyogu said the training would not only provide the beneficiaries with the skills, but also enable them to be self-employed and create wealth for themselves and employment opportunities for others.
He appealed to the trainees to pay a greater attention to the trainers to achieve the desire purpose to enable them become employers of labour.
