German agency to lift 10,000 youths with vocational skills

The German government has concluded plans to train 10,000 Nigerian youths in vocational skills in Ogun and Plateau states from September 2017 to June 2018.

An official of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), a German Agency for International Co-operation, Horst Bauemfeind, spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital during the inauguration of a projects monitoring committee in the state.

Bauemfeind said the project would provide demand-oriented vocational training for youths seeking employment in the agriculture and construction sectors, considered the two sectors with high growth and employment potential.

He said the gesture was part of on-going development cooperation between Nigeria and Germany based on a bilateral agreement that was signed by the two countries.

The German instructor, who said that 5,000 youths would be trained in Ogun, explained that his team had already embarked on an assessment tour of vocational centres and technical colleges in the state to identify possible gaps and areas of needs.

He added that the team had also organised workshops on vocational skills development for the agriculture and the construction industries to aggregate the demands of the stakeholders so as to develop a programme strategy.

“The project aims to improve the vocational skills and knowledge of young Nigerians to increase their employment prospects,” he added.Responding, Chairman of the committee, Reverend Peter Akinola, said he was concerned about millions of Nigerian youths who have remained unemployed.

He, however, expressed hope that the training would reverse the trend and called on government at all levels to redirect their policies to priotise vocational education and training among the youths.

A co-chairman of the committee, Hafsat Abiola-Castelo, noted that the training was relevant and that the body was committed to the sustainability of the project for maximum impact in the state.

Abiola-Castelo, who is also Special Assistant to Governor Ibikunle Amosun on Trade and Investment, pledged government’s support for the programme, adding that the committee planned to partner the organised private sector to defray the cost of the training per participant to make it affordable for more youths after the Germans leave the country.