The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), says it has reorganised its skills acquisition programme towards creating more jobs for Nigerians.
The agency also said it was set for the graduation of about 200 trainees who have gone through its skills acquisition directorate programme on ICT from 2018 till date.
The graduation ceremony is expected to come up tomorrow (Thursday), and will be for participants who had gone through the training on ICT from 2018.
The consultant to NDDC on ICT, Dr. Marizu Uche, who disclosed this to newsmen at the weekend, said that the essence of the graduation ceremony was to showcase to the world that the NDDC’s skills acquisition programme is still on course, and has been modified.
According to him, the current interim administration of the NDDC has shown great concern on how to make the programme a job creation one, and have come up with modifications that will make such achievable.
One of such modifications the current interim management has come up with is to give starter pack like laptop and other accessories to participants right at the beginning of the programme, he said.
“The issue of starter pack has been a thing that many have been clamouring for. Everybody wants to be given something at the end of the training, and the reason or aim for giving such is mostly not achieved.
“We have got reports of some of the graduates, when given a starter pack, will just sell them and instruct that they should not let anyone know about it, thereby defeating the aim for the starter pack.
“It is for this reason that the interim management decided to reorganise, and give the starter pack at the beginning of the programme, to enable participants get used to the items which will be used as tools for their work”, he said.
Uche said that skills acquisition training in the Niger Delta became imperative in view of the decision by the major multinational oil companies not to employ people based on ethnicity, but on the relevant skills qualifications.
He, however, said that the agency had reduced the number of trainees from 5,000 to 2,000 and from that to 200 participants in specialized areas, saying training large number of people was not sustainable.
Recalling that the training programme had been on since 2004, Uche disclosed that another batch of trainees would be recruited in the next two months, and urged those interested to check out on the agency’s website on www.nddc.gov.ng.
The consultant also assured of transparency in the recruitment exercise, saying the present NDDC management is passionate about skills acquisition, youths employment and job creation.

By: Corlins Walter