Oyo State government in partnership with First Technical University [Tech-U] has trained one hundred youths in various vocational skills.
The youths from Ona Ara local government of the state were trained in vocations such as film production and photography, fashion designing, agro-allied industry, paint-making, cosmetology as well as system security, on board diagnosing (OBD2),global system positioning( GPS), close circuit television (CCTV) installation, and private branch exchange.
Speaking during the certificate presentation ceremony after the two-week training programme tagged, ‘Oyo State Youth Empowerment and Contract Recruitment Programme’ , Ayobami Salami, vice chancellor of Tech U, said the programme represented one way by which the institution hoped to contribute to the socio-economic development process of the country through building an entrepreneurially literate society and strengthening the industrial base of Nigeria in general and Oyo state in particular.
Salami stated that the programme was essentially designed to develop the capacity of participants in industry relevant technical,vocational and entrepreneurial skills,necessary to start and effectively manage based micro-and small-size enterprises.
“This is with the view of reducing the scourge of youth unemployment in the state and its associated socio-economic consequences” he added.
He reiterated the commitment of the institution to provide sustainable alternatives to the crisis of unemployment in the country through training in various marketable skills for the nation’s youths.
‘For us at Tech- U, this ceremony demonstrates our commitment to providing sustainable alternatives to the crisis of unemployment in our country. In many ways, the rising rate of unemployment in our country today, which is currently put at 23.1 per cent, should task genuinely concerned observer to get to work and think of innovative ways out of the very worrisome situation. Our university is adequately equipped to offer evidence-based solutions in this regard,” the don said.
While saying that empowering the youth would reduce unemployment and poverty, he said the university was adequately equipped to offer evidence-based solutions to the problem of joblessness in the country.
“We hold the conviction that by working assiduously to empower our young people, we would not only deal a huge blow on poverty and unemployment in the country, but also bridge the yawning skills gap that consistently makes it impossible for the nation to join the league of truly productive economies globally’.
While disclosing that the programme was the university’s first series, the vice chancellor said the university would undertake similar training for the other youths in the state and country at large.
He pointed out that not only did the participants acquire mastery in one vocation or the other, some had been found qualified to join the team of the university in conducting similar training in the future through contract appointment.
The programme, he disclosed, was being run based on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
Salami however said the partnership was an invaluable one borne out of shared values for the sustainable empowerment of the people.
Speaking at the event, Abimbola Adekanmbi, Oyo State commissioner of finance and budget, said the training was to equip the youth with marketable skills. He said the tools would be provided for them, adding that their services would be needed by the state government. The commissioner ,who donated N500,000 as seed fund for the empowerment, urged political leaders to emulate the gesture.
Akinremi Feyisipo,Ibadan
