By Tina George, Minna
The National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP) has trained and equipped 300 Niger youths in welding and fabrication, plumbing and pipe-fitying, tailoring, catering and event management, aluminum, tiling, plaster of paris (POP) and photography.
Trained under the National Industrial Skills Development Program of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), the trainees were given various tools to compliment the skills they learnt.
The tools include electric gas cookers, tile cutting machine, trowel, cutter for aluminum and sewing machines.
The Director General, Industrial Training Fund, Sir Joseph Ari at the graduation ceremony in Minna said that government was committed to skills acquisition because it is the most sustainable solution to combating unemployment, reducing poverty and youth restiveness in the country.
He added that in the last two years, over 650 youths had been trained with skills for employability and entrepreneurship.
Represented by the Director of Research and Curriculum, Mr Zachariah Piona, Ari stressed on the need for every society to develop its human capital.
The DG further said that in 2019, focus would be paid on lifelong skills of agriculture, construction, transportation and service sector which have the great potential of job creation.
The Permanent Secretary, Niger State Ministry of Youth Affairs, Alhaji Hussain Ahmed expressed worry over the large number of unemployed youths, adding that this had contributed to the rise of crime and social vices in the state.
He urged government at all levels to introduce skill acquisition programmes in order to create jobs that would stem rampant unemployment and breed a new generation of entrepreneurs who would transform the economic landscape of the country.
