NDE to Create 74,000 Jobs
From John Iwori in Yenagoa
In a bid to stem the upswing in unemployment, the National Direct-orate of Employment (NDE) is to create 74,000 jobs nationwide.
Director-General of the NDE, Engr. S.O. Adelokun, disclosed this in a keynote address he presented in the Bayelsa State capital, Yenagoa, to launch the orientation programme for participants in the state.
"We are today engaging ourselves in a launching exercise for the recruitment of another set of trainees into our various programmes. A total of 74,000 new jobs are to be created nationwide. Under this current exercise, each state of the federation and Abuja is to benefit with 2,000 chances. Under the vocational skills development programme, 1000 National Open Apprentice-ship Scheme (NOAS) trainees as well as 50 trainees under the school on wheel will be recruited. With respect to the special public works programme, 50 persons each will be recruited under the Environmental Beautification Scheme (EBS) and the National Sanitation Employment Scheme (NSES) while 25 persons will be trained under the professional pupilage scheme. The rural employment promotion programme will provide training opportunities for 150 persons under the Rural Agricultural Development And Training Scheme (RADTS) while another 150 persons will receive training under the rural off-farm. Under the small scale enterprises programme 200 graduates will be given business training to enable them know how to Start their Own Business (SYOB)," he said.
The Director-General who was represented at the occasion by the Assistant Director in the directorate headquarters in Abuja, Mr. E.A. Adeleye, noted that the success of the exercise which is a life-time opportunity for the unemployed, especially the youths would be determined by what the participants are prepared to put into the training.
"The seed of success is therefore to be sown by you, and you alone. You can achieve success in this exercise by your attitude to this programme," he added.
According to him, the NDE has put in place a mechanism to ensure that successful beneficiaries are adequately rewarded at the end of the programme.
In his welcome address at the occasion, the Co-ordinator of NDE in Bayelsa State, Pastor Steve S. Musa said the various training schemes of the Directorate were some of the strategies formulated t o create jobs for the teeming jobless persons in the country.
Apart from providing trainees with technical and marketable skills for self-reliance or paid employment, the State Co-ordinator noted that as a sustainable measure, "it will remove idle hands from the unemployment market".
According to Pastor Musa, "The era of white collar jobs is over. Even if there is, how many chances are there for the teeming population of young school leavers? It would be a wasted effort therefore for one to wait and watch for jobs that are not forthcoming".
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