Get Guardian on GoogleThe Youth Employability and Skills Project (YESP), a technical skill empowerment initiative has unveiled 3,400 selected youth from Kano, Jigawa and Sokoto states for specialized capacity building for carrier acquisition.
The YESP Initiative being championed by Unicef and European Union, and implemented by Yaba College of Technology in partnership with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), is designed to enhance employability, entrepreneurship while projecting the youths for economic opportunities.
Speaking at the official launch in Kano, YESP Coordinator at Yaba College of Technology, Dr. (Mrs.) Funmilayo V. Doherty, explained the commitment of the institution to equipping young people with relevant skills to reduce youth dependency.
According to Dr. Doherty, the initiative unleashing economic opportunities for the youths to acquire technical training and skills in various field of endeavor and creating job for others.
She explained that the initiative would provide practical, competency-based training in digital and green skills, including solar installation, climate-smart agriculture, agro-processing, waste recycling, clean-energy production, computer hardware maintenance and mobile phone repairs, with entrepreneurship integrated across all training areas.
She stressed that the selection of skills would be guided by local economic realities, market demand and employment opportunities to ensure beneficiaries acquire skills capable of providing sustainable livelihoods.
On his part, the representative of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)Mr. Heinrich Mutsinzi Rukundo said beyond the training, the project will create pathways to employment, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods while meet the demands of the evolving labour market.
The education specialist at Unicef Field office Kano emphasised the importance of prioritising young women and vulnerable youths to ensure inclusive access to skills development and economic opportunities.
Rukundo noted that investing in youth empowerment would strengthen families, build resilient communities and promote economic growth. He applauded the commitment of EU, Yaba tech and other partners.
The Rector of Yaba College of Technology, Dr. Engr. Ibraheem A. Abdul, described YESP as an expansion of the college’s proven skills development programmes beyond Lagos into northern Nigeria, stressing the need for Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions to adapt to the changing demands of the labour market.
He said the project would train 3,400 young people across 30 Local Government Areas in Kano, Jigawa and Sokoto states in digital, green and entrepreneurial skills to improve their employability, promote entrepreneurship and create sustainable livelihood opportunities.
Abdul highlighted YABATECH’s existing contributions to skills development, including its ICT Skills Hub, Digital Technology Academy and other technology training programmes targeting about 18,000 Nigerian youths across its centres in Epe, Ikeja and Yaba.
The Rector cited the institution’s involvement in the Girls’ Education and Skills Partnership, through which 200 girls received start-up toolkits, while 94 beneficiaries obtained National Skills Qualification Framework Level 2 certificates in 2025.
