CHRISTIAN APPOLOS, in this report, brings to light stakeholders’ opinions on the National Directorate of Employment’s School on Wheels (SOW) and other job creation training programmes regarding adequate support and funding.
THE importance of blue collar jobs in the efforts to engage unemployed Nigerians in gainful economic activities has continued to take the centre stage of discussions of scholars and stakeholders.
A lecturer in the department of Mass Communication, Abia State University, Mr Emenike Ubani, at a recent forum in Abuja, stressed that scarcity of white collar job calls for the federal and state governments to consider engaging unemployed persons in entrepreneurial skills as well as support them to kick-start businesses.
He said the benefits of a well managed entrepreneurial skill programmes are enormous to Nigeria’s security, economic growth, stemming the alarming rate of poverty and general well-being of the citizens.
Ubani noted that the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), an agency of the Federal Government saddled with the responsibility of job creation, already has many effective and implementable job creation schemes that, if implemented, will do wonders in the Federal Government’s efforts to quell the ever swelling Nigeria’s unemployment figures.
He further said that findings from studies on effectiveness of NDE’s job/skills acquisition and empowerment programmes reveals that the directorate’s entrepreneurial trainings and empowerment programmes have established many successful businesses that have given jobs to many unemployed persons.
Ubani went on to query why successive governments in Nigeria relegated the NDE, which may have snowballed to denying many unemployed Nigerians opportunity of jobs and gainful entrepreneurship engagements.
However, the Director-General of the NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, when contacted on the issue said the Federal Government, having understood that crime and insecurity could be linked to the alarming rate of unemployment in the country, has been doing so much to provide viable solutions that will translate to engaging many unemployed persons in various sustainable economic activities.
He noted that government also understands the economic contribution of youth employment through entrepreneurship, especially to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Mallam Abubakar Fikpo further said, “Through the NDE, the Federal Government designs soothing Micro, Small and Medium entrepreneurial schemes and programmes purposefully to engage unemployed Nigerians who are interested in blue collar jobs. We have trained and supported many and government is working hard to do more.”
He added that the management of the NDE and various departments are tirelessly working everyday to proffer solutions to the country’s unemployment crisis. “We do this by designing schemes that are not only implementable but result-oriented.”
The DG gave instance of a NDE’s School on Wheels (SOW), a job creation training scheme designed to take opportunities to the rural areas.
He said, “It is a concept that deploys training facilities to communities where infrastructure is not available or inadequate. The concept of SOW has a prime mover and a caravan. The caravan is outfitted with various training tools. The caravan conveys the tools in different trades to a remote area where training has been scheduled to hold.
“The training equipments are displayed in the caravan. It will be mounted there and those interested in learning various skills will be recruited. The theory and practical classes are demonstrated in the caravan for a period long enough for the trainees to acquire the skills.
“Sometimes, based on availability of funds, we provide beneficiaries with a loan either in cash or in kind. In cash, we give them monies to go acquire the equipments they need to run the businesses they have been trained on. In kind, we go with them to the market, select the items they need, buy and give them. That is the concept of the School on Wheels.”
Based on the DG’s description of the SOW, Nigerian Tribune decided to visit the NDE’s Enugu and Kaduna State offices to investigate the existence of the scheme and the tools used for its implementation.
In Enugu State, Nigerian Tribune confirmed the existence of SOW, as the NDE state coordinator, Mrs Ifeoma Ezekwe, displayed the main tools used in the scheme training (the prime mover and caravan).
Ezekwe said, “The School on Wheels training is not a myth. It is not just a job creation tool that provides skills and employment opportunities for a lot of unemployed Nigerians, but also a tool meant to curb urban-rural migration.
“Unfortunately, in recent times, due to shortfall in taking the School on Wheels training to the rural areas because of poor funding, a lot of young people in the rural areas have now moved into the urban areas and the consequences include the unrest and security challenges we are facing now.
“For instance, we just finished registration of the unemployed persons. It will interest you to know that the number of unemployed people we have in the rural areas is really scary. So, adequate funding of the NDE’s job creation entrepreneurial skill programmes like School on Wheel will go a long way to checkmate unemployment rate in the country. Meanwhile, equipping, youths in the rural areas with entrepreneurial skills will go a long way to reduce security challenges.
“I strongly canvass that aside from government, private organisations should partner NDE on School on Wheels and other job creation programmes. Every state should have at least two caravans that will be outfitted with at least six skills, bearing in mind that we are in the year 2023.
“One of the caravans must have tools to teach young ones computer software coding, editing and many other IT related skills because the future workplaces require such skills. And the other should have tools to teach catering, fashion designing and hairdressing.”
Mr Ahmed Kawure, NDE Kaduna State coordinator, said, “The School on Wheels training of the NDE is such a unique programme. The most important reason is because it is community-based. It is fashioned in a way that it meets community needs especially in the area of empowering the youths with entrepreneurial business opportunities needed for economic activities.”
He added, “You cannot believe the situation of many youths in some rural areas in terms of what to do to sustain life. So it is always a thing of joy in many communities when we land on their doorstep to train and equip their children with skills that will help them put daily food on the table. But unfortunately, the meagre fund we get doesn’t allow us to accommodate many of these youths who are willing to acquire skills to start up businesses.
“For instance, three months ago, we recruited 115 youths under our School on Wheels’ business basic skill for three months. We trained them on fashion designing, catering, shoe and bag making. But due to unavailability of funds, we are only able to support 46 of them with tools to commence the basic business we trained them on.
“Some people say that youths are not willing to learn skills to start up business; that is not true. You cannot rule out the fact that some of them want to do something else but I can tell you as a state coordinator here in Kaduna that many of them want to undertake our trainings and create jobs for themselves. Among those we trained and supported to start up, many are doing so well that they have employed people. Some of them are doing so well that they now serve as our trainers in some rural areas.
“So in the interest of job creation for the teeming unemployed Nigerians and to engage the youth to be productive and stay away from criminal tendencies, the federal and state governments, and successful businessmen and women should support the NDE to popularise and drive the job creation efforts to the rural areas. The gains of engaging especially our youths in entrepreneurial business venture are more rewarding than otherwise.”
Mrs Elizabeth, a beneficiary of NDE School on Wheels training on catering in Kaduna said, “What NDE has done for me is beyond words. I have always wanted to learn a trade to help sustain my family. So when this training opportunity came, I grabbed it and strictly attended each session. I was even surprised they said they will give us some tools to start up the business. This business will go a long way to help my family. I will even ensure that my children learn catering skills from me, who knows where it will be of help to them tomorrow.
“I advise the youth out there, especially the female ones, to grab opportunities like this whenever they come across it. The way the economic situation in the country is now, if you don’t have a skill to help you earn a living, you will not find it easy. The most unfortunate thing is that it costs so much to learn any trade in Nigeria now. So, I urge the Federal Government to support NDE to do more trainings and empowerments like this.”
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