No fewer than 150 youths in Ogun State are currently undergoing training in various vocations towards making them self-reliant and productive in order to contribute to the economic growth of the state.
The beneficiaries in fourth batch of the training are undergoing vocational and skill development programmes of the State Government through the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Abiola Okonjie, said the trainees were being trained in hairdressing, catering, barbing, costuming and tailoring.
Kufile revealed that the duration of the trainees’ apprenticeship ranges from three months to one and half years, depending on the scope of the training.
She said that the government was determined to sustain the scheme until joblessness and unemployment among youths in the State were reduced to the barest minimum.
“Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led administration is determined to tackle unemployment head long and one of the strategies put in place is to ensure that any youth interested in learning any particular skill will be encouraged to be self-reliant and productive to the society,” she said.
The Commissioner further urged the trainees to seize the opportunity of the training to translate the skills they have acquired into veritable means of livelihood that would be worthwhile.
She solicited the partnership of individuals, philanthropists, government and non-governmental organisations, especially the existing partners in the micro credit scheme to get actively involved in the socio-economic development of citizens by complementing the efforts of the State government through the empowerment of the trainees after graduation.
Some of the trainees commended the State government for the programme which they described as “all inclusive” as not only indigenes of the State had benefited from the programme.
They said the effort was a springboard for participants to earn a living for themselves.
