LABOUR Unemployment: NDE trains NPC partners UNIDO to enhance 100 youths in vocational skills productivity

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) says that 100 youths are currently benefitting from the Federal Government’s empowerment programme on vocational skills in 36 states and the FCT to reduce unemployment in the country.

This was stated by Dr Nasiru Mohammed, the Director-General of NDE at the sensitisation programme of trainees on the B-NOAS, under the vocational skills development department in Abuja.

Represented by Mrs Edna Ngozi, the FCT Coordinator, Mohammed said the NDE organised the training to enable the trainees acquire pre knowledge of the intensive training that would last for three months.

He added that the training began in October and it would end in December 2017.

He said the participants would be trained in catering, interior decoration, fashion designing and computer training.

“God has blessed you with untapped skills that you need to look inwards too and give your time to get gold out in other to make a difference.

“I, therefore, urge you all to embrace this great opportunity to acquire the skills that will create profitable employment for you and offer employment to others in the long run,” he said.

Mohammed said the training was another milestone in the continuous efforts of the NDE to explore all avenues at combating the problem of unemployment and underemployment in the country.

He said the NDE as an apex of employment generating agency of government had over the years employed policies that cuts across various spheres of job creation.

“The practical attachment and skills acquisition will ensure that our young men and women after graduation have added advantage to be competitive and innovative in the market place of wealth creation,’’ he said.

Miss Chidima Osuagwu, one of the trainees, who responded on behalf of others, commended NDE for the privileged given to them and assured that the training would be put to effective use.

She also appealed to other trainees to use the opportunity towards moving the country forward. The National Productivity Centre (NPC) in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have commissioned national productivity training centre training centre for accreditation of ISO 9001.

NPC Director General Dr Kashim Yunusa Akor disclosed this during the formal commissioning of the new centre located at the NPC head office in Abuja.

Akor explained that the IS0 90001 is the standardization which is recognized all over the world which the country must embrace.

He said, “All goods and services that are recognized with the logo of IS0 90001 are globally accepted to be of quality. So, we of the national productivity centre, believe that we can key into the diversification of programmes of government. One of the missing links in the diversification programmes is the issue of quality of Nigerian goods and services. You must have heard of our goods being rejected in the European market, our yams, our red beans being rejected. And even the quality of services provided by Nigerian companies are being rejected so we felt that we should be part of the process whereby the quality of these goods and services can be enhanced and that is why we partner with the UNIDO.”

He said through the partnership, UNIDO has certified the NPC as a training centre for ISO 90001.

“So, for any organization in Nigeria to be certified in terms of their services we need to give you certain levels of training here so it is after we have given you that training that you now go for certification for the ISO 9001 certification,” he said.