NDE engages 60 artisans in Gombe
By Chima Azubuike
No fewer than 60 artisans have been engaged by the National Directorate of Employment under the Special Public Works department.
Our correspondent reports that 30 set were engaged in its Artisans in Collaborative Construction Employment Scheme and another batch of 30 under the Environmental Beautification Training Scheme.
Speaking during the training programme, Director-General of NDE Abubakar Fikpo, said the two sets were engaged across the 11 Local Government Areas of Gombe State.
He explained that beneficiaries under the Artisans in Collaborative Construction Employment Scheme would get the needed experience from their attachment to companies and imbibe needed professionalism, adding that those on Environmental Beautification Training Scheme which comprise hard landscaping, soft landscaping and Paster of Paris would be trained by their masters, while NDE pays them.
Represented by the Gombe State Coordinator Jediel Stephen, Fikpo announced that both would have a three-month timeframe, with beneficiaries of ACCES expected to get N5,000 monthly stipend, while those in EBTS would be paid N2,000 as stipend.
He said, “The ACCES is also targeted at imparting industry-led competency skills as well as providing appropriate certification to Artisans under appropriate professional bodies.
“Engender more reliable and dependable source of workforce, provide an avenue for improving and upgrading the skills of the Artisans, organise the Artisans for regular and sustainable work, inculcate the spirit of professionalism and engender more trust by their potential clients.”
While enumerating the advantages of the EBTS, Fikpo added, “It will create a sustainable employment and wealth creation, reduce restiveness among the unemployed youths, create a decent pool of entrepreneurs that will become employers of labour and a decent job through training and development of landscape services providers from design to installation.”
