DESOPADEC trains 168 in skills acquisition

About  168 people   have graduated in the second batch of the vocational skills acquisition programme of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC).

The graduation held at the commission’s Skills Academy at  PTI Conference Centre, Effurun, came to a climax with the graduates  receiving starter packs, including generators, industrial sewing machines, laptops, hair dryers, hand grinding machines, industrial leather machines, massaging equipment for beauty therapy, among  others.

The beneficiaries were trained in hairdressing, welding and fabrication, shoe and bag making,  tiling and interlocking, electrical repairs, installation and solar works, fashion design and tailoring  and  Information  and Communication Technology(ICT) among  others.

Earlier, the state governor, Dr Ifeanyi  Okowa, had charged the beneficiaries of various state government’s empowerment  scheme to make integrity their watchword if they were to succeed in the businesses they had been trained and empowered for.

Speaking through the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Patrick Ukah,  on the occasion,  Okowa  stated that one of the strong points of his administration was the introduction of the women and youth  skills acquisition and empowerment schemes which he said, had provided a platform for them to become financially stable.

He noted that economic indicators had shown that the scheme had impacted positively on the economy of the state as most graduates from the programme had grown their businesses and employed people to work for them.

Okowa urged the new graduates to ensure that they were committed to their businesses as it was the only way to become successful in what they do.

He commended the commission’s management team for complimenting the efforts of the government in reducing poverty and unemployment through the scheme.

On his part, the Managing Director of DESOPADEC,  Askia Ogieh, stated that the commission, in the first quarter of 2022,  took the decision to square up and re-skill people in several vocational areas within the  oil bearing communities in the state so that  they could become self-reliant.