The National Directorate of Employment (NDE), in Enugu on Monday empowered 20 graduates training of school on wheel program under Vocational Skills Development (VSD) in Enugu.
The program, which was under VSD of the directorate, was aimed at disbursement of resettlement items as loan to some graduates of VSD.
The Director-General of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Fikpo, at the event, said that the graduates were given sewing items, hair dressing items and make-up items to start up their own business.
The director-general, who was represented by the State Coordinator, Enugu office, Mr Eugene Agu, said that the resettlement scheme had been in existence since 1994.
He explained that the scheme was put in place to recognize the importance of resettling graduates of school on wheels to be self employed.
Fikpo explained that from 1994 till date, thousand of youths had benefitted from the scheme nationwide and were now successful and proud business owners.
According to him, it is an encouraging sight to behold the enthusiasm in the faces of these youths as they are counted among the next generation of confectioners/ caterers, electrical installers, fashion designers, and others.
He urged the graduates to be of good behavior, be proactive in their business and to be good ambassadors of the NDE.
In his remarks, the VSD Director, Mr Isa Abdu, encouraged the beneficiaries to be time conscious, and noted that time was money.
Abdu, who was represented by Mrs Modester Ezekwu, urged them to always remain focused on the field of endeavor, be their brothers keeper, and embrace team work for effective service delivery.
He urged the beneficiaries to take their business seriously, describing it as a life-changing opportunity.
He commended the director-general for counting Enugu worthy to participate in the 2023 resettlement process.
In her remarks, Mrs Nwainka Okonkwo, the Head of Department of VSD, said that VSD was one of the programs under her department.
Okonkwo encouraged the beneficiaries to be of good behavior and hard-working in their area of endeavor
“as it might earn them better opportunity tomorrow”.
One of the beneficiaries, Miss Chinemerm Chiekezie, expressed the gratitude of the beneficiaries and commended NDE “for the great job they were doing especially on the lives of unemployed graduates in
the state”.
Chiekezie lauded the directorate for the “wonderful gesture of not only training them but for also providing them with starter equipment”.
