PIND to train over 300 Ondo youths in entrepreneurial skills

The Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) said no fewer than 300 youths from Ondo state will be trained in entrepreneurial skills under the auspices of PIND’s Youth Employment Pathways Project for the Niger Delta (NDYEP).

This was disclosed by the programme director for PIND, Mr Effiong Essien, during the launching of the Youth Employment Pathways (YEP) programme which took place in Akure, capital of Ondo state.

Essien informed that over 5000 youths had benefited from the YEP programme from four different states which include, Rivers, Abia, Akwa-Ibom and Delta States

He said the programme took off in 2022 in Ondo state with over 300 youths, disclosing that the foundation is partnering with four implementing partners.

He said the concept of the programme was to get youths aged between 35 and below to exchange critical ideas with top executives to gain experience and plan better for the future.

According to him, the youths would be trained to train in skills which include agriculture, Information Communication Technology (ICT), building construction fashion designing, and catering.

He maintained that the targets of the programme are mainly women, youths and people living with disabilities between the ages of 16 to 30.

He said “Our targets are mainly women, youths and people living with disabilities, to take them on a journey that ends up in the enterprise and help them find a job or establish their own business which means over time, they become employers of the labour themselves.

“This is just a significant start and we are going to run this throughout the year and over the year in increasing the number from hundreds to thousands.”

He commended the state government for its support in providing an enabling environment to carry out the project.

Representing the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on youth empowerment in Ondo State, Mr Owei Ebiteju Toikumo said the state appreciated PIND’s partnership on the programme.

He said “This is a very good vision in the eighth direction because we all know that we have many unemployed youths in the society and the government is not in a position to engage all of them, especially within the confines of the white collars job, hence engaging of youths in vocational training becomes important.

“PIND foundation has deemed it fit to make Ondo state benefit from their programmes, it is very commendable, but we craved that they increase the number to benefit more of these youths,”

Speaking on the expectations of the programme, one of the partners of YEP, Mrs Olayinka Akinpelu said the project will ensure the evolution of the youths.

She said the beneficiaries would either be employed or start up their own business in order to be employers of labour at the end of the programme.

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