The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) Kaduna Directorate has urged relevant stakeholders to support its mandate of job creation for unemployed persons in the country.
The acting State Coordinator, Victoria Williams-Dada, made the call during an orientation programme for 690 life skills trainees in the state.
The training was under the Basic National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (B-NOAS) and the Advanced National Apprenticeship Scheme (A-NOAS).
She explained that the support from relevant stakeholders, who were passionate about empowering Nigerians, would assist the NDE in ensuring that more people were trained and resettled.
“We all know training and empowerment of unemployed people are capital intensive, it is therefore difficult for the NDE to resettle every person trained through its various programmes.
“B-NOAS and A-NOAS are designed for the unemployed youths and women in our society to enable them to acquire marketable skills such as catering, aluminum fabrication and fashion design, among others.
“This training will enable the creation of a pool of artisans that will address the needs of the environment and also promote economic activities,” she said.
She said 460 persons would be trained under B-NOAS while 230 under A-NOAS, adding that participants were drawn from the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
She urged beneficiaries to use the opportunity given to them by the directorate and learn skills that would better their lives.
Earlier, the Director General, Malam Abubakar Nuhu-Fikpo who was represented by the acting Zonal Director, NDE, Hassan Mustapha, said NDE’s mandate was to empower unemployed persons.
He explained that the rate of unemployment was alarming as such, other stakeholders should join hands with the NDE to address the issues through training people on life skills.
He urged participants to be serious- minded and pay attention to their trainers.
Meanwhile, some beneficiaries appreciated the NDE for the programme and promised to be of good conduct throughout the training.
Habiba Salihu, one of the trainees, said she chose catering to improve on her cooking skills and empower herself by starting a catering business.
Sylvester John, who was learning metal fabrication, said he would use the skills to set up a business and be able to take care of himself and his family.
