Ebonyi Government partners ITF to boost youths skills

Worried by the number of its indigenes that are engaged in street hawking around urban centres across the country, the Ebonyi State Government has entered into partnership with the Industrial Training Fund with a view to equipping indigenes of the state, particularly youths, with technical skills for them to favourably compete in the labour market.
Addressing an ITF delegation that was in Abakiliki to fashion out details of such partnership, the Secretary to the Ebonyi State Government, Prof. Bernard Ifeanyi Odoh, said it was this need that informed the State Executive Council last year to approve a skills programme tagged: “Street to Skills,” which is targeted at equipping street traders from the State with new skills set.
A statement issued by the Head of Publications/Media Relationship of the ITF, Dr. Felix Otuwarikpo quoted Odoh as saying: “We started a programme last year, which was approved by the Executive Council of the State. If you have gone around Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Onitsha, a lot of young people are engaged in street hawking.
“Unfortunately for Ebonyians, majority of these people engaged in this street hawking are from Ebonyi State.
“So we became worried that no matter the progress we make as a people; if we do not withdraw these young men and women and give them skills, they will erode whatever progress we make in governance.”
Odoh stated that the expectation of the State Government was for the proposed collaboration to yield tangible results within 12 to 18 months by taking these youths off the streets and equipping them with skills to earn a living, noting that the State was prepared to extend start-up capital to beneficiaries of such skills training.
The Director of Technical Vocational Skills Training Department, Engr. Mike Afadi, who led the ITF delegation, in his response, said the ITF viewed the invitation from the State Government as a clarion call and in tandem with the organization’s mandate of giving Nigerians relevant skills for employable.