NDE trains youths in Nigeria to address unemployment

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has implemented skills and acquisition training as an approach to address unemployment in the nation.

The acting Director-General of NDE, Mr Nuhu Fikpo, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Fikpo was cited to have talked during the orientation ceremony, which marks the beginning of the training.

He said, “It has been observed that graduate trainees of the Basic National Open Apprenticeship Scheme may not be fully proficient to compete favourably in the business world.

“It is against this backdrop that the management of NDE is implementing the Advance National Open Apprenticeship Scheme.

“The primary purpose of this training scheme is to ameliorate the daunting challenges posed by lack of marketable and functional skills and the rising rate of youth unemployment in our society.”

Fikpo who was represented by the NDE Ogun State Coordinator, Mr Bakare Tajudeen, stated that 40 trainees were enlisted from the 20 Local Government Areas in Ogun State.

As indicated by the statement, the training scheme will hold in all the 774 LGAs in Nigeria.

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) was established in November 1986. It started operations fully in January 1987.

The birth of the Directorate was predicated on the effects of the economic recession of the 80’s which led to a drastic reduction in capacity utilisation and consequent outright closure of industries in Nigeria.

Its mission is to design and implement job creation programmes that will promote attitudinal change, employment generation, reduce poverty and boost wealth generation.

The acting Director-General of National Directorate of Employment is Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo.