Story from DAHIRU Suleiman, Dutse
No fewer than 2,577 person’s have benefitted from NDE self-training packages on different crafts as part of measures in providing gainful employment and reducing poverty in Jigawa state.
The NDE Coordinator in the state, Alhaji Abubakar Jamo, made the figure known during an interview with Neptune Prime’s Correspondent in his office at the Federal Secretariat building in Dutse.
Jamo said the beneficiaries, consisting of males and females, were trained in various income-generating trades, between January and December.
He explained that 1,356 of the beneficiaries were trained by the agency’s Vocational Skills Development (VSD) Department.
The coordinator added that 216 out of the 1,356 beneficiaries received the training under the Advanced National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (A-NOAS), 1,080 under the Basic Open Apprenticeship Scheme (B-NOAS), 40 under the Quick-Fix Demand-Driven Skills, and 20 under the School-on-Wheel (SOW).
According to him, 125 of the beneficiaries were trained by the Rural Empowerment Promotion (REP) Department, 100 of the students trained on Sustainable Agricultural Empowerment Development Scheme (SADES), while 25 received their training on the Post-Sustainable Agricultural Empowerment Development Scheme (P-SADES).
He explained that 900 of the beneficiaries were trained by the SSE Department.
“50 of this category of trainees received their training on Start Your Own Business (SYOB), 180 on Basic Business, 540 on Advanced Basic Business Training, 30 on Wig and Turban Decorations, and 100 on Basic Business Management,” Jamo said.
He further stated that 193 others were trained by the Special Public Works (SPW) Department. The coordinator added that 54 of them were trained on Environmental Beautification Training Scheme (EBTS), 142 on Graduate Attachment Program (GAP), and 25 others on Solar Energy.
The coordinator added that some of the trainees were given N100,000 loans to start their businesses.
“Also, the 30 women trained in Wig/Turban decorative paint were each given N25,000 loan to start their businesses,” the coordinator added.
According to him, the gesture was to reduce unemployment and restiveness among youths in the state.
Jamo added that it was also aimed at empowering the beneficiaries to be themselves, employers of labour, as well to contribute to the well-being of their families and overall economic growth in the state and the nation at large.
He assured that the directorate would continue to evolve new programs in its training schemes to reduce unemployment.
