NYSC flag-off skills acquisition for corps members

The National Youth Service Corps on Monday in Akwa Ibom flagged-off a Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) scheme for corps members across the country.

The Director General of NYSC Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawunmi, who flagged-off the scheme at the state orientation camp said the programme would ensure that corps members become self reliant.

Olawunmi said the Federal Government has directed the NYSC to create a department that would be responsible for sensitising corps members to learn a skill during their national service year.

He said that the sensitisation would help them develop a skill to become job creators instead of job seekers.

He said NYSC was interested in the employment of corps members and therefore the establishment of the scheme to address the issue of unemployment after service.

“It is common knowledge that there is generally a global economic recession. Nigeria as a country is not an exemption of the swift change happening in the world of jobs.

“The reality of dearth of wage employment opportunities by Nigerian youths and graduates calls for great concern.

“The NYSC has been directed by the Federal Government to establish the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) department.

“The department is saddled with the responsibility of sensitising corps members to the practical realities of the Nigerian job market, thereby providing the foundation on entrepreneurship.

“This will make our erstwhile corps members employers of labour and not job seekers,” he said.   

The director general advised the corps members to make best use of the opportunity as the training would help them in future.

In his comment, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youths Development, Dr Henry Akpan, said the federal government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bank of Industry to finance the scheme.

Akpan said that government employment and private sectors could not provide enough jobs for the teeming graduates in the country.

He disclosed that a National Youths Development Fund would soon be established to make funds available for youths empowerment.

The State Coordinator of NYSC, Mr Akinkunmi Martins, listed the areas of skills training to include: agro allied product like poultry, fish breeding and feed production.

Others include; bread baking, dress making, ICT training, film and photography production, cosmetology and food and preservatives.

Highpoints of the event was the inspection of a guard of honour by the permanent secretary and the director general mounted by the corps members and flag-off a Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) scheme for corps members across the country.