By Mimi Chiadikobi
Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo has created enabling environment for its youths to be economically independent.
Soludo, through its initiative for youth development programme tagged 1Youth2Skills has engaged in training of 620 master trainers for 1 youth2skills programme who are effectively expected train the trainees in various skills.
The Commissioner for Youth Development in Anambra, Mr Patrick Agha-Mba,u made the disclosure in Awka during a day training for Master’s trainers orgainsed by the ministry.
The Commissioner called on the youths of the state to quickly key into the ministry’s 1youth2skills training programme despite the read profession.
Agha-Mba said that the Value Re-orientation and Capacity Building training was orgainsed by the ministry for master trainers for 1youth2skills acquired basic skills for training the trainees.
He said that the 1youth2skills training, with the theme, “Developing strategic partnerships for optimal service delivery Phase 2, would train 8,620 youths.
The commissioner said that the master trainers were expected to adopt the right values as agents of change and also acquire the positive mindset needed to actualise the vision.
He said that the 1youth2skills programme was an initiative of Gov. Charles Soludo, designed with the objective of re-redefining youth empowerment.
“The initiative will move the narrative from immediate consumption to a more productive, innovative, exportive and impactful venture,” Agha-Mba said.
He further said that the programme was targeted at turning the state into the biggest skill hub in sub-Sahara Africa, where youths will acquire employable and exportable skills.
He described the programme as a “developmental, sequential programme”, comprising 1youth2skills Apprenticeship, Cooperative Formation, 1youth2skills Entrepreneurship, Business Financing, and Mentorship.
According to him, the apprenticeship scheme that is about to commence is meant for the vocational skills training with an intention to adopt the apprenticeship model to ensure that trainees learn business skills too.
Agha-Mba lauded Soludo for creating limitless opportunities and boundless possibilities for Anambra youths.
He said that the first phase of the programme had 5,000 youths empowered with vocational and entrepreneurship skills, where N2 billion grants were given for business start-up and expansion.
“The sum of N2.5 billion had been housed with the Anambra Small Businesses Agency as 1youth2skills working capital to be accessed through 1youth2skills Cooperative as soft loan.
“Evaluation reports from agencies are showing over 80 per cent success rate in areas of business commencement and expansion by beneficiaries of the first phase.
“The second phase will empower 8,620 youths under the categories of start up, existing businesses and apprenticeship and 20,000 youths are with digital skills under the programme,” he said.
The Senior Assistant to the Governor on Youth Development, Mr Emeka Omata, trained the master trainers on how to use the course content/timeline, log book and attendance sheets/Reports.
Omata said that intentional application of the guidelines will aid grand success of the programme designed to last between four and six months.
“This is a more practically-based training to enable the trainees to understand the skills and go into action after training.
“The programme will cost the government over N3.5 billion.
“Therefore, it is required of the master trainers to ensure grand success by given quality training,” he said.
Mr Tochukwu Ebeku of the Information Communication and Technology Agency trained the master trainers on the use of GPS application to enter in the online form.
Ebeku advised the trainers to pay attention to know how to participate in virtual video calls as part of the Monitoring and Evaluation process for the 1youth2skills scheme.
Mr Titus Okoli, a participant from Akpu Community, Orumba South Local Government Area, said as a farmer, trainees under him would be well tutored.
Okoil, who practices mixed farming, such as cassava, corn and vegetables farming, said that agriculture is wealth.
“I am a civil servant but I engage in farming because of its immense influence in life.
“Farming as a vocation ensures healthy living and if one plans very well along agriculture, he will achieve desired success without involving in fraud.
“The youths need value re-orientation where their mindsets need to be removed from Internet money-making and related social ills,” he said.
Dr Chinenye Okoli a participant who owns a tailoring outfit, called Chifymagic Couture, said the acquisition of skills is very critical to national development.
Okoil said that the tailoring business had given her family fame and fortune.
She appealed to the youths of the state to take up any skill of their choice.
She said that trainees under her in the first phase were doing well as she looked forward to the phase 2 batch.
In a brief remark, the Commissioner of Local Government, Mr Collins Nwabunwanne, advised the youths to go into agriculture as a sure way to defeat hunger and economic dependency.
Mr Chinedu Nwoye, Chief of Protocol to Soludo and Deputy Chief of Staff encouraged the youth to key into the youth developmental programme of the State to be out the street for good.
Nwoye advised the youths never to lay waste looking for white collar jobs but can take skills under the state government youth programme.
” The programme have be designed to be easy and hope that the gesture will be appreciated by Anambra youths.
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