A recent publication by nairametrics.com reveals that the population of unemployed youths in Nigeria were more than the total population of Rwanda and other African countries. The publication revealed that young Nigerians between the ages of 15-24years especially girls struggled to get employment or were unemployed.
Also, a labour force report released by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), revealed that “in 2021, the unemployment rate in Nigeria is estimated to reach 32.5 percent. This figure is projected to increase further in 2022.”
The report suggested that the high youth unemployment rate was a contributing factor to the increasing cause of crime, poverty and insecurity in the country and if nothing was done about, then the country was sitting on a ticking time bomb.
Building on the above highlighted problem in the country, the Centre for Young People Development and Poverty Alleviation, CYDPAN, in partnership with Favanth Collection, Angel’s Mind Fashion School; Michelle Cakes and Snacks and Sunshine Makeup Artistry sealed a harmonious collaboration to train and equip young women in Akwa Ibom State with up-to-date skills.
The training initiated by CYDPAN, a Non-governmental organization with keen interest in creating opportunity for the development of young people through education, health and skill acquisition kicked off three months ago, precisely February, 2021, to train interested young women in the state with skills that will not only put food on their tables but will help turn them into employers of labour.
The training which was categorised into; Fashion Designing, Catering and Event Management, Cosmetology has had the first set of trainees fully trained with hands-on-skill.
In the fashion designing category, eight young women were registered for the training free, with the training fee paid by CYDPAN. Currently, five other young women are still undergoing training by Favanth collection while three others are receiving training from Angel’s Mind Fashion School.
The first set of the trainees (5 ladies), who were registered for catering and event management have graduated and are already practicing independently with laudable testimonies from clients. While the new four in-take in the same category started the training on Friday, 23rd April.
In the cosmetology category, three young women who were registered for the training graduated while the remaining trainees were at the rounding off stage of the training.
It is believed that the training by CYDPAN and all the partners will go a long way to breach the unemployment gap in the country and state, and help raise independent women who can fend for themselves and raise other people, this, the Executive Director of CYDPAN, Mr Robert Boniface made known.
Giving a brief synopsis of why CYDPAN embarked on the movement of gainfully impacting hands-on skills to young people in the state, Mr Boniface noted that the organization was passionately compelled by the widening gap of social vices among young people particularly women who were falling prey to immaterial wants, to provide these young women the choice of financial and mental freedom.
CYDPAN boss noted that the goal of the organization spans from mental orientation, mental development to helping young people discover and harness their capacity so that the tide of youthful indolence, restiveness and social vices can be curbed while raising a confident and resilient Nigerian youth.
He disclosed that CYDPAN takes pride in providing adequate information, resources to trainees under them in a strategic way that leave trainees fully empowered and alleviated during and after the training.
Meanwhile, apart from the skill acquisition programme, CYDPAN has other lined up thought-out programmes which is intended to target rural people and students at the secondary school level.
The drive by CYDPAN is strategically and deliberately planned and is coming at a time the world is grappling to settle in from the hit of COVID-19 and other economic drawbacks faced in the country.
With the core vision of CYDPAN in place, the poverty and skill acquisition programme is expected to translate to the breaching and closure of more than 1000 unemployed gaps in the state and rise of more agile and independent young entrepreneurs with functional businesses in the state.
