The Kaduna State office of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) distributed sewing machines, printers and other equipment as starter packs to 20 graduates of its Vocational Skills Development (VSD) program on Tuesday.
NDE’s Coordinator in the state, Alhaji Ahmed Kawuri, said its School on Wheels program trained the beneficiaries in carpentry, fashion designing and printing.
He said each graduate got equipment worth N80,000 as loan and that the loan would be repaid in three years.
He charged beneficiaries to take their businesses seriously so as to become self-reliant and also become employers of labour.
Earlier, NDE’s Director of VSD, Alhaji Isah Abdu, also charged the beneficiaries to take their businesses seriously as degree certificates alone were not enough to make a living.
In his remarks, the traditional leader of Sabon Gari, Kaduna, Alhaji Ibrahim Ya’u, commended NDE for empowering youths as the gesture would reduce social vices.
“When youths are meaningfully engaged, they will shun drug abuse or stealing,’’ he said.
Some of the beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the NDE and promised to make judicious use of the equipment given to them as loans.
