To reduce unemployment in Nigeria, Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) has empowered young females in engineering field with Mentorship and Technical, Vocational, Education and Training (TVET).

The association, in its programme, Margaret Aina Oguntala Capacity Development Academy (MAOCADA), stressed the need to train females in TVET for them to be self-employed.

The first female Deputy President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and pioneer of the capacity training, Margaret Aina Oguntala, said youths need to learn skills when they graduate from the university to fit into the workforce.

“We want to equip young women for the workforce by training them in areas where they can be on their own, be able to do things on their own, learn more and advance knowledge,” Oguntala said.

She noted that their partnership with Kenol Nigeria Limited and MOMASS for the training, which covered Autocad, electrical wiring/installation, meter installation, plumbing and water distribution, would get more women employed and encourage them to stay more in engineering.

NSE President, Tasiu Salad Gidari-Wudil, charged the beneficiaries to be focused as problem solvers.

APWEN President, Dr. Elizabeth Jumoke Eterigho, who was represented by the Vice President, Dr. Adebisi Osim, pointed out youth unemployment coupled with skill shortage remained a major socioeconomic crisis in Nigeria.

In her remarks, Ogun State Deputy Governor Noimot Salako-Oyedele, who lauded APWEN for promoting engineering profession among women, stressed that youth unemployment remained a big challenge that must be tackled urgently.

She urged MAOCADA to add soft, communication and business skills to its programme.