A German organisation, Gesellschaft Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) SIDEN, has trained secondary school students on different skills in order to curb youth unemployment.
Addressing journalists Tuesday in Abuja, Entrepreneurship and Job Creation Advisor for GIZ-SEDIN, Mr Babafemi Oyediran, said the organisation is working with experts to ensure that Nigerian youths can become employers of labour, instead of depending on nonexistent white collar jobs.
He said: “GIZ SEDIN has been helping Nigerians to start up businesses by training entrepreneurs. With the training, many now think outside the box and create jobs for themselves, instead of focusing on white collar jobs and joining the growing list of unemployed youths.
“Many of the young Nigerians see themselves through tertiary institutions. In several of our trainings, we ensure that necessary bodies are invited to talk to participants on various fields. For instance, we have trained people on how to acquire NAFDAC numbers for their products. When you know the right things to do, room for errors are usually minimal.
“There is need for us to continue building our entrepreneurial skills. It is the way for us to go, while we position ourselves to make Nigeria better.”
Also speaking, a beneficiary of the programme, Mr Joseph Lukas Izang, said he is looking forward to establishing his own business using the skills he acquired from the organisation.
He said: “I encountered GIZ SIDEN while studying at Government Secondary School Township in Jos. Being a student, I was focused on books and thinking of white collar jobs. I already knew how to make shoes but lacked business ideas. However, after the training by the organisation, I can now make more than 20 shoes for sale per month.
“I am now an entrepreneur. I will encourage other students to enroll for training by GIZ in order to learn skills that will sustain them through life. Nevertheless, I would also implore the organisation to train as many students as possible and curb youth unemployment.”