By Uche Onyeali
Federal government, through its Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills, IDEAS, Project, has organised another training to equip Nigerian youths with relevant skills aimed at curbing rising unemployment.
The IDEAS Project, a federal government initiative championed by the Federal Ministry of Education with the support of the World Bank, aims to enhance Technical and Vocational Education, TVET, by fostering industry-relevant skills, improving training quality, and promoting entrepreneurship.
Speaking at the flagoff of the training programme at Government Secondary School, Area 10, Garki, Abuja, a World Bank Education Specialist, Dr Mistura Rufai urged the participants to take the training seriously by focusing on the core objectives of the initiative and take advantage of the knowledge it impacts on them for economic self-reliance.
“As you are taking the training, we are at the technical side, a theory for what you came for, and for what you need to get through this training.
“You have to take the training seriously and have a greater hope for tomorrow. As we are at the technical side working well for you to make the training smooth, you should be at the other side putting all your efforts to see that you get the best out of the training.
“We can’t do everything for you, but we can be a starting point to make sure everything works well for you. Try to build a good entrepreneurship skill. The difference between Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition, IDEAS, and other programmes you must have heard about or attended is that we see training as process and not final.
“The important thing is what you are able to achieve from the training. We are providing you with resources; it is left for you to grab the opportunity and utilise it,” Dr Rufai told the trainees.
She further urged them not to place their focus on the incentives from the programme, as the major target is how they could succeed make the best beyond completing the training.
“Completing is one thing, utilising it in future is another. There are many out there doing nothing. Not in education, not in employment and not in any skill. So the Federal Ministry of Education with the support of the World Bank is trying to see what can be done for this category of people,” she added.
Also speaking, chairman of the Organising Committee of IDEAS/TVET Programme, Abuja, Dr Raphael Prince said the objective was to drastically reduce unemployment among the youths and also to create skill entrepreneurship mentality among them.
“It will also help to reduce the dependence on government,” Prince said.
He disclosed that the programme is for six months, after which the trainees were expected to be empowered, adding that presently, the trainees were being given monthly stipends to cover their feeding and transportation in the course of the training.
The organising organising chairman disclosed that there are currently 33 training centres on different skills in the FCT, with some of the centres allocated 50, 100, 150 and above slots.
Some of the training service providers such as Dr. M.K. Mohammed of Chef’s Palace Entrepreneurial Training Centre; Engr Femi Adelekan of Hartplan Nigeria Ltd, and Engr Dirisu Alliagbor of Solar Panel & Inverter Installation and Management, commended the IDEAS initiative for doing a great job on a critical national issue like job creation for the younger ones.
