The Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo State has thrown its weight behind a vocational skills acquisition programme designed to equip youths with practical skills for employment, entrepreneurship and economic self-reliance.
The council chairman, Prince Abdullahi Momodu, disclosed this, on Sunday, pledging the council’s collaboration with the organisers of the initiative, which seeks to widen access to legitimate economic opportunities for youths in Esanland.
The programme organised by the Centre for Moral Value and Justice, in collaboration with the Edo State Ministry for Public Safety and Security, is meant to provide vocational and entrepreneurship training to young people in the five local government areas in the Esan axis.
Convened by Comrade Inegbenehi Sylvester, with Chris Okojie, as co-convener, the initiative will be officially flagged off on October 6, at the Esan West Local Government secretariat.
The training will subsequently be decentralised to Esan West, Esan South-East, Esan North-East, Esan Central and Igueben local government areas.
It will be facilitated by the Nigerian Association of Engineering Craftsmen, affiliated with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), with participants expected to acquire practical knowledge in various areas of vocational enterprise.
Momodu said the council would mobilise youths in Esan Central to participate actively, stressing that practical skills could bridge the gap between formal education and the changing demands of the labour market while opening pathways to sustainable livelihoods.
He added that the council would work with the organisers to ensure that the initiative translated into tangible economic opportunities beyond the award of certificates.
Momodu urged the youth to embrace the programme as a pathway to self-reliance, improved living standards and productive contributions to their communities.