By CHARLES IWUOHA

No fewer than 10,000 unemployed youths in Enugu State, on Tuesday, participated in the Federal Government’s skill acquisition pre-selection screening for the Project Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) Maximisation.

The Project TVET Maximisation (or Project T-MAX), which is at the pilot stage in seven states including Enugu State, would have 15,000 unemployed youths, between 18 and 35 years, learning a skill for a maximum of three months.

Supervising the Pre-Selection Screening for the Project T-MAX in Enugu, Mrs Uzoamaka Yahaya, Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Centre Manager, said that the pre-selection screening was meant to reduce the number of applicants from 10,000 to 2,000 in the state.

Yahaya said that the first pre-selection screening of reducing the number of online skill learning applicants from 16,000 to 10,000 had already been done; while Tuesday, Nov. 15, would be the final to get the needed 2,000 applicants.

She said: “We are happy with the level of turnout and gratified that applicants, who are passionate to take advantage of the programme are here; thus, leaving out students who must have gone back to school.

“The skill training programme will kick-start in Enugu on November 28 and the centres in Enugu are equipped with the state of the art equipment and classrooms for holistic training.

“Those youths engaged in the training that show high sense of learning and commitment would definitely be rewarded with a package to make them kick-start in earnest even as we follow up on them via mentoring.”

The manager said that ITF was committed to supervise and follow up on the programme and its applicants to ensure it would be fruitful to the society.

“We want youths to take this programme seriously and not despise their little beginning as they have a bright prospect to grow big in the future with this training and the support it can offer,” she said.

Mrs Nma Nwandu, Chief Executive Officer of KNF Legacy Centre, said that the centre would be partnering the government to train the youths on skills such as tailoring/fashion design; beauty care/cosmetology; cooking/baking; photography/cinematography and furniture works.

Nwandu said that the centre had spacious classrooms for the training, adding that “we boast of top notch training personnel and teachers as well”.

Mrs Lovely Eluchie, Director of Kalisa Creatives, another training partner in the programme, lauded the Federal Government for the programme, noting that if made consistent, it would reduce the unemployment level among youths.

“This programme shows that the Federal Government has young people at heart and is doing everything to better their lot by giving them hope for the future.

“I must sincerely commend the Federal Government for this gesture,” Eluchie said.

Other skills in the programme included: ICT, automobile, welding and fabrication, plumbing and fittings, tiling and interlocking, electrical Installation, solar installation and maintenance, air conditioning and refrigeration repairs, leather works and agro-packaging.

The pilot phase of the project aims to equip 15,000 young Nigerians with skills across seven states; which are: Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Enugu, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Gombe.

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