The Federal Government has begun a technical and vocational training programme for youths in Benue State, targeting improved employability and entrepreneurship among participants.
The three-month training, organised under the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprise Skills (IDEAS) Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme, is being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education with support from the World Bank.
The programme was launched in Makurdi with participants drawn from across the state and trained in areas including fashion design, information and communication technology, hospitality and other vocational skills.
Representing the Minister of Education at the flag-off, Dahiru Haruna said skills development remained an important pathway to employment and economic empowerment, particularly amid the country’s economic challenges.
He urged the participants to take the training seriously and make productive use of the skills acquired to become self-reliant.
Haruna said the IDEAS project had recorded interventions in different parts of the country, adding that its focus on practical skills would help young Nigerians develop alternatives to dependence on formal employment.
The Benue State Commissioner for Education, represented at the event by Awai Winifred Doshima, and the Commissioner for Digital and Knowledge Management, represented by Paul Ameh, also participated in the launch.
The programme is designed to strengthen technical and vocational education while equipping young people with practical skills that can support employment, small businesses and entrepreneurship.
Participants demonstrated some of the crafts and skills they would develop during the training, which is expected to run for three months and beyond.
The Federal Government said the initiative was part of broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s human capital and expand opportunities for young people through practical and marketable skills.
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