The Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq has said that the Federal Government has empowered 15000 unemployed Youths to benefit from the N-knowledge program in the North East.
She disclosed this at the farewell ceremony marking the end of the different component of the N-Power, N-knowledge Batch C1 programme, adding that N-Power is part of NSIP Programme domiciled in the Ministry designed to achieve the National objectives of poverty reduction and job creation for the unemployed Youths across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
Farouq said N-Power, N-knowledge beneficiaries were drawn from the six states of Bauchi, Adamawa, Gombe Taraba and Borno and Yobe for the training for three months in three clusters of N-Creative art (animation) Computer hardware (repairs and installation, fixing of Android phones and script writing.
Farouq said after undergoing 90 days training conducted by professionals at the Abubakar Tatari Polytechnic, Bauchi, the beneficiaries were given Starter Packs based on their field of specializations as well as token amount for take off.
The Minister charged them to put to use the good knowledge they have acquired during the training period.
Representing the Hon. Minister Gidado Abubakar, an Assistant Director of the Ministry, assured the trainees that the Federal Government is committed to empowering the youths and other vulnerable Nigerians in other to bring them out of poverty as well as make them employers of labour.
She added that all participants in the training who successfully completed the course are expected to set themselves up with the starter packs and the amount given to them for take off, considering the economic situation of the country, adding that 771 turned Certificated.
The N-Knowlege programme which is a component of the N-Power is focused on equipping young Nigerian youths with relevant skills and certification to become competent workers, innovators and entrepreneurs prepared for both the domestic and global digital job market.
Continuing she said, the N-Power (N-Knowledge) will upskill 20,000 young Nigerian on the global radar as exporters of world-class services and content in creative art and information Technology sectors. The training component was targeted at developing competencies of the youths in software development and hardware groundwork to make training which will be catalyzed as well as groundwork to make Nigeria competent in the outsourcing market for the software development.
It will also develop the skills and capacities along the skill set in value chain of mobile apps and website development and start the talent development effort for the growth of information technology industry in Nigeria.
The programme is a centralised in–camp training for 3 months and a 6 month apprenticeship in the 6 geopolitical zones within 24 training venues cuts across the 6 zones for the 20,000 beneficiaries who participated in the programme. At the end of the training qualified trainees would be awarded their certificates and attestations just as the trainees are introduced to different schedules that will make them more informed and ready for global competitions in the global markets, orientation, work ethics and rules of engagement are also exposed.
Adeyemo Felicia
For: DD Information
