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Tag: National Directorate of Employment

  • NDE trains 100 staff on ICT

    NDE trains 100 staff on ICT

    The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has commenced the digitalisation of its operations in order to enhance its visibility and give it a significant online presence.

    To achieve the digital switch, the agency conducted training for about 100 of its staff from across the country on Wednesday at its training centre in Bwari, Abuja.

    Director – General of NDE, Silas Agara noted that to seamlessly automate the agency’s operations, there was a need to expose the staff to ICT skills such as content creation.

    He said: “We are trying to transition from analog to XT-Tabs. We have not done very well in the ICT operations or transiting from the analog to the digital. I keep saying that it’s not your fault and we can’t hold you responsible because you have not been given the right tools to perform this.

    “You have not been sufficiently equipped to perform and if you have not been equipped to perform, much cannot be expected from you. That is why we tried as we could to ensure that the Renewed Hope Job Initiative that was the first of its kind was built up online.

    “We tried, and with your support, we were able to come out of it successfully and that gave us the insight that we must go back to the basics and equip you with the right tools so we can get the desired result from you.

    “Nigerians are looking up to the NDE to reignite the NDE of those days. The lessons that we have learned from the Renewed Hope Job Initiative have made it very imperative for us to upgrade the skills of our ICT staff nationwide.
    The NDE is at the point of digitalising and automating all our operations.”

    Agara said that digitisation of its operations would help the agency to efficiently achieve the expectations of President Bola Tinubu, deliver skilled Nigerians in different skill sets..

    He added: “We have been doing a lot, but we are not occupying our space. We do a lot of programmes and there is no reason that we cannot occupy the space out there and give this renewal document that NDE is properly positioned to support Mr. President’s renewed hope agenda.

    “In the complete promises of Mr. President and the renewal agenda, if you look at some of the activities and the action there, these are actions that affect the operations and mandate of NDE.

    “Number three, four, five are areas that meet the mandates of NDE and that means if we properly position ourselves, we can help Mr. President to achieve the renewal agenda that will push forward the process of NDE. This is the time for us to properly position ourselves and take a rightful position.”

    While noting the need to upgrade its system, the NDE boss added that since the agency was adopting more IT operations, “we have agreed in-house that a minimum of 60% of our resources will be channeled towards digital skills. So we need to upgrade our system. We need to ensure that our system can withstand the traffic that will come in. If you see the numbers of unemployed Nigerians today, it’s alarming.

    “If you see the numbers of NYSC graduates from the system, it’s alarming that means if we don’t sit up properly, it’s a time bomb and NDE and other agencies that have the mandate for skilled programmes should be able to tighten our belt so that we can help Mr President in achieving the Renew Hope mandate.”

    Read Also: Edo moving forward under Okpebholo’s leadership — Commissioner

    The Director, Research Planning and Statistics in the NDE, Edmund Onwuliri noted that with the training, workers of the agency would be equipped with the necessary digital skills that would help them do their jobs better.

    He stated: “This is the first time it has ever happened in the history of the NDE. Without a provocation, history will be kind to you. This is because you have completely changed the trajectory as it affects the operations of the NDE since your coming. Today, history is being made also to the extent that this huge number of persons or personnel of the NDE will be receiving critical skills that are required for them to do their jobs better.

    “We will give you all the support, we will give you all the loyalty that you need to make your dreams of a bigger and better NDE a resounding success.”

    Speaking on behalf of the participants, Dr. Mabel Onyedinefu, who noted that the staff were enthusiastic to learn new skills, pledges their commitment to becoming better at their jobs.

    “This is a wonderful training you have organised for us, we appreciate your efforts. I want to assure you we are very enthusiastic about the whole training process, we are committed to the learning process and we have no doubt that at the end of the training, you will see the results when we begin the second phase of the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative programme,” Onyedinefu said.

  • Dangote Refinery lifts youths in host communities

    Dangote Refinery has lifted youths in communities in lbeju/Lekki, Lagos State. SINA FADARE reports.

    Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals Company has empowered youths in its host communities in Ibeju/Lekki, Lagos with vocational training. Dangote Group Executive Director, Capital Projects, Mr Devakumar Edwin, said the initiative was a demonstration of the refinery’s commitment to capacity building and youth empowerment.

    The skills’ acquisition training, which was launched in collaboration with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), covers plumbing, masonry, welding, iron bending, auto mechanics and electrical works.

    According to him, the aim of training these 200 youths was in line with the Chinese proverb that “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”. He added that the skills would provide them with a means of livelihood for their families.

    Edwin stated that the scheme was geared towards instant value addition to the lives of the youths and their communities.

    At a colourful ceremony, which was attended by top Obas and community leaders, including the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, and all the Baales in the host communities, the Dangote Group boss said the company would continue to invest in projects that would add value to the lives of the people in the communities hosting its facilities across the country.

    He said: “At Dangote Industries Limited, our Corporate Social Responsibility projects are centred around the development and wellbeing of the people, especially our host communities. In Ibeju Lekki, we have executed several projects that are enhancing the lives of the people. We have provided boreholes for all the communities, classrooms for the local school, and we just awarded scholarships to 51 secondary school students.

    “This programme is another level of our intervention as it is targeted at providing vocational skills to the teeming youth population in our host communities. The youths are veritable assets in any society and the quality of the youths determines the outlook of tomorrow’s society. Therefore, an investment in developing vocational skills among youths will yield the desired results.”

    The Manager, Projects Certification and Authorisation Division (PCAD), NCDMB, Frank Ibi, who represented the Executive Secretary, Simbi Wabote, commended Dangote Refinery on its achievements.

    He said the board’s mandate was to ensure that training resources and efforts were devoted to providing young Nigerians with specialised skills and certifications needed to get employment.

    Ibi commended Dangote’s commitment to NDCMB human capacity development initiatives, which, he believed, would provide a platform for the youths to contribute to Nigeria’s economic development.

    Oba Akiolu said the programme was unprecedented because the company was yet to start operation but decided to empower the youths from the area.

    The traditional ruler encouraged the youths to utilise the skills which they will acquire through the training programme for their maximum benefits. He commended Dangote Refinery for its unwavering support to community development initiatives in Lagos State, enjoining the youths to work hard and make the best of the opportunity given them on a platter of gold.

    The Oloja of Epe Land, Oba Kamorudeen Animashaun, commended Alhaji Aliko Dangote for bringing development to the communities through his investment and urged other Nigerians of means to invest locally and lift the economy of the people at the grassroots.

    The Chairman, Lekki Local Council Development Area, Olaitan Ogidan, who was the chief host, said the inauguration of the skills acquisition programme was a fulfilment of Dangote’s promise to the host communities and a step in the right direction.

    According to him, the company equally promised the award of scholarship to students in the host communities, adding that this was fulfilled through the award of scholarship to secondary school students. He called on the company to assist the communities with science and technology specialised schools.

    The Lagos State Coordinator of the NDE, Adebowale Ologbenla, said the Dangote Group decided to key into the vision of the ministry in the area of skills acquisition.

    Ologbenla noted that the training would focus on different vocational skills, such as auto-mechanics, electrical installation, plumbing, weathering, AC Technicians and Iron bending, adding that this would give a source of livelihood to all the beneficiaries at the end of the programme.

    “We are going to attach them to our master trainers for six months. During the duration, Dangote will pay the trainees and the trainers and at the end of the vocation, they will be supplied with necessary tools that will assist them to have marketable skills and be able to make a living for themselves.”

    Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Alaba Kayode expressed happiness, saying the programme would go a long way in equipping them with the necessary skills required for latest vocational job techniques.

    Kayode said they were all ready to make the best of the opportunity.

  • NDE empowers youth, women on skill acquisition in Ekiti

    The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Ekiti State has empowered 50 unemployed persons in the grassroot with marketable skills aimed at alleviating poverty and creating wealth.
    The skill acquisition training for the unemployed persons in Ifaki, Idosi Local Government Area of Ekiti State covered shoe and bag making, beads stringing, barbing, tie and die making and computer training.
    At the flag off of the training, the NDE  Ekiti State Coordinator, Mr. Adeoye Olusegun said the agency has initiated programmes aimed at reducing unemployment and poverty to its barest minimum and enthroning self-sufficient and self-reliance among the grassroots people.

    Read also: Kano revokes N5bn road contracts

    Olusegun said: “The School On Wheels (SOW)  scheme is aimed at creating a pool of artisans that will readily address the needs of the local environment, promoting economic activities and stemming the tide of rural-urban drift.
    He stressed that the skills acquisition should be seen as a veritable tool for poverty reduction, wealth creation and employability a prerequisite for sustainable national growth.
    “The trainees would create several job opportunities which on the long run have multiplier effects in impacting on the main sector of the economy”, he said.
    The State Coordinator called on the beneficiaries to be of good conduct, diligent and creative with the skills acquired to cope with the ever-dynamic nature of the economy.

  • FG restates commitment to job creation

    Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, has restated the commitment of the Federal Government to job creation for the citizenry.

    Ngige said this during the inaugural meeting of the Board of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) on Wednesday in Abuja.

    The minister called on the NDE to expand its skills acquisition programmes in order to reduce the nation’s unemployment index.

    According to him, NDE is a multipurpose vehicle whose mandate is anchored on creating varying programmes to ginger creativity, skills acquisition and self-reliance.

    “The whole essence is to create a sustainable mechanism for job creation through skills development paradigm capable of producing a self-dependent generation of Nigerians.

    “That is who will not only empower themselves but also transfer the skills and replicate jobs,” he said.

    He, however, noted that paucity of funds has hampered such an ideal.

    He added that NDE as of today is not well funded. If it were to be rich, its mandate centring on training and equipping of trainees, empowering them with loans to set up their own businesses like  carpentry, tailoring, metal fabrication and welding, computer-based technology, mechatronics among others would be easy.

    “But that’s not to say the NDE is not doing its best within the limit of available resources,’’ the minister said.

    Read Also: Fire station: Fed Govt partners Akwa Ibom

    He, however, said it was impossible for the government alone to be charged with job creation as the private sector either alone or in liaison with the government has a huge role to play.

    He noted that the public sector which the government controls was not expected to give more than 20 per cent of jobs in a well-structured economy.

    Ngige further said that part of the mandate of the NDE included the comprehensive national data on unemployment.

    He, therefore, called on the NDE to work in alliance with the National Identity Card Commission, who was currently creating a Single Data Base for the entire country.

    Earlier, Mr Dr Nasiru Ladan, NDE Director, said that his focus was to streamline the operations of the agency to for easy actualisation of its objectives.

    He decried the high rate of non-compliance among the beneficiaries of its loan scheme programme, but promised that the agency would continue to encourage women cooperative societies across the nation.

    NAN

  • 2,000 undergo skills acquisition in Ekiti

    The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Ekiti State has commenced the training for 2,000 people in various fields of vocations. The gesture ws aimed at reducing unemployment in the society.

    About 1,400 of the trainees are undergoing training in cosmetology which incorporates making of bar soap, liquid soap, detergents, perfumes and disinfectants.

    A total of 600 of the beneficiaries are being trained  for domestic trades such as barbing, GSM phone repairs and catering, among others.

    Speaking at the opening ceremony of the training, NDE Director-General, Dr. Ladan Nasiru Argungu, said the agency has designed many empowerment programmes that would help in reducing unemployment among youths, especially.

    Argungu, who spoke through the state NDE Coordinator, Mr. Babatope Akinyemi, said the skills gained by the participants would help them to stand on their own and also become employers of labour.

    He urged the participants to make use of the opportunity so that they could contribute to grassroots economy and be useful to the society.

     

  • NDE okays training of over 76,000 new recruits

    The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has approved the recruitment and training of 76,300 trainees nationwide, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) NDE Coordinator Lady Edna Offordile has said.

    She said under the scheme, each state had been mandated to recruit and train 2,000 unskilled men and women, who might be primary or secondary school leavers, school drop-outs and other unskilled/unemployed persons who might wish to be trained in identified marketable skills.

    Speaking at the orientation of Basic Open National Apprenticeship Scheme (NOAS) for 2,000 trainees organised by the NDE FCT Vocational Skill Development Department in Abuja, she said the training in cosmetology would last for two weeks.

    “At the end of this training, the trainees should be able to produce bar soap, bath soap, liquid soap, Izal, Detol, body spray, hair cream, air freshener, shampoo, hair conditioner, body cream and the production of insecticide.

    “Having acquired this knowledge, they should also be able to package and sell these products to make a living. The training involves 18 master trainers spread out to all the area councils of the FCT,” she said.

    Offordile disclosed that the intensive training in other skills, such as interior decoration, catering and  phone repairs will commence immediately after the two-week training and will last three months, adding that the trainees  will be trained by proficient and well established trainers in  various localities they are domiciled.

    The NDE FCT, she said, will engage the services of counsellors/motivational speakers and successful entrepreneurs during the orientation.

    “You will be posted to selected master craftsmen with standard training outlets across the FCT,” she added.

  • NDE trains 2,000 youths in Borno

    NDE trains 2,000 youths in Borno

    The National Directorate of Employment ( NDE ) on Tuesday said it had trained 2,000 youths in Borno.

    NDE Coordinator in the state, Wakil Kalanga, said this while fielding questions in Maiduguri.

    Read also: Borno govt bans vehicular movement on three highways

    Kalaga said the beneficiaries were exposed to various trades under its Basic National Open Apprenticeship Scheme ( B-NOAS ).

    He said the beneficiaries would be provided with resettlement packages to enable them set up their businesses.

    He said the exercise would provide job opportunities and enhance wealth creation in the society, adding that the agency would train 50,000 youths int eh state this year.

    NAN

  • 2,170 youths get NDE training in Anambra — Coordinator

    2,170 youths get NDE training in Anambra — Coordinator

    No fewer than 2,170 unemployed youths benefitted from the various training programmes of the National Directorate of Employment ( NDE ) in Anambra in 2017, the state Coordinator, Mr Joseph Iroegbu, has said. Wednesday in Awka, said the beneficiaries had concluded their training and were awaiting take-off later this year.

    “Thirty youths graduated from Basic Business Training, while one person out of the 50 that were trained on Own Your Business course qualified for grant of N800, 000 for submitting a bankable proposal.

    “Other areas where youths were trained include women employment, agricultural development scheme, life skills, business development and poultry.

    “Two thousand youths who commenced training on Vocational Skills Development in 2017 are still undergoing the course billed to be concluded before February.

    Read Also:  Edo, NDE  train 4000 on technical skills, cosmetology, others

    “The programme is going concurrently in the 21 local government areas in the state,’’ he said.

    The coordinator acknowledged the rising unemployment rate in the country but regretted the negative attitude of youths to apprenticeship.
    He decried how some of the beneficiaries were not paying back the soft loans because the politicians who nominated them gave them the impressions that NDE empowerment programme was entirely free.

    “Part of the challenges is that our graduates don’t pay back their loans, they use it to shore up their egos and give them the impression that the startup loan is free money from government.

    “So, when we go to them they say we should go and meet the politicians who signed for them.

    “People are not serious in the training and entrepreneurship; they seem to be more interested in the stipend we pay them as trainees.

    “We have good programmes to solve unemployment but we are worried that they are not embracing it, our store is filled with idle equipment, even our forms are not filled to indicate that they want resettlement,’’ Iroegbu said.

    NAN

  • NDE trains 2,000 in vocational skills in Ondo

    NDE trains 2,000 in vocational skills in Ondo

    The National Directorate of Employment ( NDE ), Ondo State, says 2,000 unemployed people are currently benefitting from a special vocational skills training to reduce unemployment in the state.

    Mr Mayowa Aliu, the NDE State Coordinator, who stated this on Tuesday at the launch in Akure, said that the training was divided into two categories of cosmetology and seven other vocational skills.

    He said that 1,400 would be trained on cosmetology for two weeks while 600 would be trained on seven vocational skills for three months.

    According to him, the training scheme is a special programme sponsored by political office holders in collaboration with the NDE through its vocational skills development department to train unemployed people across the three senatorial districts of the state.

    “Today, we are flagging-off the training of 2,000 unemployed people for cosmetology and other seven different skills across the state.

    “It is a special programme because all the trainees were recruited by political office holders such as the Governor, Deputy Governor, Senators, members of House of Representatives, Members of House of Assembly, Minister from the state and some traditional rulers across the state.

    “The trainees were divided into two categories, 1,400 of them mainly women will be trained on cosmetology for two weeks.

    “While the remaining 600 will be trained on seven different skills such as Shoe and Bag, Bead Stringing; Confectionary; Event Planning; Photography, Beauty Therapy and GSM repairing for three months.

    “Participants will not pay any amount for the training but each of the trainees will be paid stipend during the training and at the end of the exercise some of the trainees will be given fund to start their own businesses.

    “The essence is to reduce restlessness in the society and to encourage them to acquire skills,” he said.

    He admonished the trainees to avail themselves the opportunity by taking the training serious.

    “My advice to trainees is to take it serious because some people may think it is a joke but at the end of the exercise they discover it is a long career and a big business.

    “Put in your best because being skillful in one’s career will attract encouraging patronage,” Aliu advised.

    One of the trainees, Mr Oladele Fatokun, from Owo Local Government Area, appreciated NDE for the gesture, urging the government to increase the number of participants and make it more than once in a year.

    “Government should increase the number of participants because many people are still roaming the streets without work.

    “And if more youths can engage in this kind of skill acquisition all manner of atrocity in the society will be reduced,’’ he said.

    Also speaking, Mrs Esther Adebayo, from Akure South Local Government Area, showed her appreciation for being among the trainees, saying that the skills acquired would provide them with the best alternative source of livelihood.

    NAN

  • NDE, NAPTIP to train victims of human trafficking

    NDE, NAPTIP to train victims of human trafficking

    The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to train and empower victims of human trafficking in the country.

    Director General of the NDE, Dr. Nasiru Mohammed Ladan Argungun said at the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that the agency has the mandate to train all unemployed and vulnerable persons in the country and equip the, with the relevant skills

    According to Dr. Nasir Mohammed, the principal function of NDE as an apex job creation agency in the country is to train and empower the jobless and the vulnerable. “We have the mandate and capacity to train and empower all unemployed persons including trafficked persons for self-employment in various fields. If you have a centre or a collection point where victims of human trafficking are being counselled and rehabilitated, we shall move-in, train them on marketable skills and resettled them with starter-packs for better life”

    Director General of NAPTIP, Mrs Julie Donli Okah, said the need to assist victims of human trafficking in finding their feet in the society has become urgent and relevant to the success of NAPTIP as an agency. 

    According to the NAPTIP boss, ‘’we counsel and rehabilitate them but because of financial constraints, we have not been quite forthcoming in the area of Training and Resettlement.

    ‘’When we rehabilitate and cannot empower them, it becomes an effort in futility, it is a big challenge to NAPTIP and this is the reason we are happy that the NDE is coming to assist in this aspect’’

    It was gathered that the process towards the realization of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was consummated by the signatures of the two Chief Executives started four months ago when the Director General, NDE and his management paid a courtesy call on the management of NAPTIP with the two agencies expressed the desire to collaborate in the promotion of self-employment and poverty reduction among victims of human trafficking in Nigeria.

    The objectives of the MoU among other things include ensuring that the victims are well trained in demand-driven skills of their choice and are empowered to establish their enterprises.

    With the signed MoU among, succour has come the way of all victims of human traffic especially those presented by NAPTIP. They are to be trained by the NDE and those who show a considerable level of commitment shall become business owners. Henceforth, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), according to the Director-General, will on continual basis organize various short and long-term training schemes of between four and six months with stipends for the victims at the NAPTIP shelters all over the country.

    Upon the recommendation of prospective beneficiaries by NAPTIP after training, loans ranging between one hundred thousand (N100, 000.00) and five hundred thousand (N500, 000.00) naira are to be disbursed to the beneficiaries by the NDE. The loan package shall be of a single digit interest having a maximum tenor of three years including three months moratorium period.