NDE trains 100 staff in information technology

To kickstart its journey toward full digitalisation and enhance the visibility of its job creation and skills development programmes, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has commenced the training of over 100 staff members in information technology.

The Director General of the agency, Silas Agara, revealed this when he addressed journalists during the inaugural session of the ICT training of over 100 NDE staff assembled from across the states of the federation on Wednesday in Abuja.

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He noted that to seamlessly automate the agency’s operations, there was a need to expose the staff to ICT skills such as content creation.

In his words, “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 hard as we could to ensure that the Renewed Hope Job Initiative, which 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 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 digitalizing and automating all our operations.”

Agara added that digitisation of its operations would help the agency to efficiently meet the expectations of President Bola Tinubu in driving the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative by equipping unemployed Nigerians with job-driven skill sets.

“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 channelled 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 number 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 up our belts so that we can help Mr President in achieving the Renew Hope mandate.”

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

Commending the DG’s insight, he said, “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.

“As much as lies within our power, 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 program,” she said.