Benin Electricity Distribution Plc. (BEDC) has begun a long- term partnership with Edo State Polytechnic, Usen to bridge unemployment gap in the country and ensure that youths are employable.
The firm announced the deal during a career fair it organised at the polytechnic.
BEDC’s Chief Corporate Service Officer (CCSO), Mrs. Kunbi Labiyi, said the firm had evolved a Technical Trainee Programme (TTP) that would ensure that youthswere trained by experienced hands.
“Employment of our youths is a major concern to all and sundry. It is important we catch them young so that we can have a proper succession plan in place.
“The knowledge from old experienced hands in the power sector can be passed to the young, energetic and vibrant youths coming up,” she said.
Mrs. Labiyi said the company’s mandate is to recruit, train and employ over 2,000 National Diploma (ND) graduates of Electrical/Electronic and Mechanical Engineering in the polytechnics as technicians that will go on to obtain Higher National Diploma (HND) and eventually move up the career ladder working with BEDC.
“The beginning is to have a list of qualified students that we can immediately put through our recruitment procedure,” she said.
The CCSO said the TTP was mirrored after the Graduate Trainee Programme (GTP) and is for a year training. It focuses on core technical courses, which two months of classroom training on core technical, commercial, financial, IT skills, customer relationship and on-the-job training.
She said the objective of the programme was to produce workers, who would be change agents to lead the revolution expected in the power sector.
In his goodwill message, Edo State Polytechnic Rector, Prof Biodun Falodun, said the synergy was a major milestone in the history of the institution.
“We want to explore sustainable partnerships with the national and multinational companies and training students to not only be employable after graduation but also self-sustaining,” he said.
The BEDC has trained over 700 graduate trainees and technicians in three sets of its GTP scheme and two years of TTP.