25 Gombe youths benefit from NDE solar energy training
National Directorate of Employment (NDE), in partnership with Abuja Graduate school, on Monday completed a five-day intensive training for 25 youths on solar energy installation and maintenance at the Government day secondary school, Ahmadu, Gombe.
Speaking shortly after the closing ceremony, the Director General, Abubakar Fikpo, who was represented by the NDE Gombe State Coordinator, Mustapha Hassan said the trainees would cover the shortfall in power supply.
Fikpo added that aside engaging the youths, they would be empowered to alleviate the economic challenges of their various families.
According to the Director General, the directorate is open to equipping the beneficiaries to start up a meaningful venture in their various senatorial districts.
He said, “The participants are drawn from Gombe across the three senatorial districts. The epileptic power in our communities gave rise for the search for alternative means and sun comes readily available even in rural areas that is why they were drawn across the three senatorial districts.
“At the end of the day, they are expected to go back home and decide to do something that will benefit the community in terms of power generation through solar energy. At the end NDE will provide them with soft loans. Most of the participants had put in good attendance showing readiness to commence operation.”
While lauding the efforts of the Federal Government, Fikpo urged for support from philanthropists, “To assist in complementing the effort of the Federal Government so that we can have more people that will get the training and whoever that has not got the opportunity to get the training through philanthropists, individuals, politicians that will assist in training most of these youths so that poverty can be reduced.”
Some of the youths who spoke with our correspondent lauded the initiative of the directorate to impact them requisite skills in renewable energy. They called on the NDE to assist them with loans, in order to establish solar energy (SMES).
Meanwhile, no less than 30 women are being trained by the directorate in wig, turban (head gear), as well as paint making, with about 50 graduates attached to different organisations under the Graduates Attachment Programme (GAP).
“The essence is to reduce Poverty, so that people can have something doing. For them to be self reliant and not to depend on government to do almost everything for them, even though government is just assisting in training them. Let us have employed people from the unemployed situation through self employment training.
“The 30 women will be given N25,000 at the end of the training as empowerment. The Graduate Attachment Programme (GAP), the participants are 50 in number they will get allowance of N20,000 per month for a period of three months. The GAP is just like a stop gap to attach the graduates in the various establishment in the course of their attachment they are expected to gain experience. Some many be retained if they show seriousness,” Fikpo added.
