In its relentless efforts to tackle unemployment in the country and in line with its founding vision, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), last week commenced the training of 20 artisans under its Environmental Beautification Training Scheme (EBTS).
Flagging-off the training in Asaba, Director-General of the NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, said the training, which was aimed at promoting environmental renewal in urban and rural areas, particularly towns and cities, is equally targeted at creating decent jobs in the landscaping service value chain.
The three-month training, according to Fikpo, who was represented by the State coordinator NDE Delta state, Chukwuma Jinanwa, offers skills in the area of aesthetics, protection, sanitation, ornamental to finishing and employability skills, while making beneficiaries self-reliant, entrepreneurs and ultimately transforming them into wealth creators.
Beneficiaries of the training, which is holding simultaneously across the 36 states of the country, will be taught various aspects of hard landscaping such as plastering, particularly Plaster of Paris (POP) finishing and cornice, among others; casting, decoration of columns, beams, windows and parapets, among others; construction and decoration; floor and wall tiling.
Another aspect of the training, he said, is soft landscaping, which encompasses landscaping designing, raising numeric, planting and maintenance of grasses, shrubs, hedges, flowers and trees in parks, gardens, streets, corporate offices, private residence, estates, and erosion control sites, among others.
The DG enjoined the participants to “reciprocate the directorate’s gesture by being of good character and conduct (themselves) responsibly in your places of training.”
He urged them to utilise the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire the experience that you need to upgrade and sharpen their skills in order to establish their own businesses.
In his own welcome address read on his behalf Mrs. Omoku Edith, Head, Planning, Research and Statistics (PR&S) Department, Jinanwa, said the objective of the the EBTS “is to create skilled artisans in the community who will in turn become self-employed and further create employment/wealth and ultimately reduce poverty.”
Skills acquisition, whether urban or rural based, he noted, remains the backbone of any growing economy, challenging the participants to make judicious use of the rare opportunity to learn trade very well and become their own boss.
In a goodwill message, the Acting Director South-South Zone of the NDE, who was represented by Ugwuoke Gideon, also urged participants to be always present in their places of training and be of good conduct while undergoing the training.
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