By Sunday John
Lafia – The Nasarawa State Vocational and Relevant Technology Board (VRTB) said on Monday that it was training 500 youths in the state in different vocations and skills annually, to reduce unemployment.
Idris Umar, the Board’s General Manager, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafia.
According to him, the youth are being trained at its well-equipped training centres in Lafia, Doma, Nasarawa and Wamba, with a staff strength of 137.
Umar noted that the government established the board to empower the youth in different skills, to make them self-reliant.
He said that the youth were being trained in plumbing, tailoring, barbing, tracking, driving, carpentry, welding and auto mechanics.
The general manager said that the youth were also being trained in making detergent, snipper, morning fresh, among other items.
Umar said that the centres trained the younger beneficiaries of the programme from primary one to six, using the national school curriculum.
According to the general manager, the younger beneficiaries are also taught some vocations, while the adults are trained in diverse fields.
“For the students in primary school, upon completion, they either proceed to technical colleges or open their own workshops to practice the skills they have learnt.
“The trainees are encouraged to write the Labour Trade Test Examination, to acquire a certificate that they can use to seek employment,’’ he said.
He said that the state government, through the board, was working out modalities to provide the graduates with working tools and helping them to access loans to set up their businesses.
Umar commended the state government for appointing him as the head of the board and promised to consolidate on the achievements of his predecessors.
He appealed to the government to increase funding of the board, to enable it to meet up with regular practical schedules for the trainees.
“I appeal to parents to take advantage of the free training and send their children to any of the centres.
“This will also help to reduce social vices in the state,’’ Umar said.