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Ikpeazu moves to produce skilled youths to feed Aba factories

By on September 18, 2015

Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, Wednesday took a bold step to revive the technical vocational education in the state in order to produce school leavers that would possess the requisite skills to fit into the manpower needs of industries in the state and beyond.

He unfolded this plan at the launch of the Education for Employment (E4E) programme at Boys Technical College (BTC) Aba, saying that giving Abia youths the necessary skills to fit into the present demands of labour market “is a very important component of the plan of our administration.”

The governor, who was represented by his deputy,  Ude Oko Chukwu, said by reviving the technical vocational education, Abia would naturally be playing to its strengths as an enterprising and entrepreneurial people.

“It is our estimation that within the next four years 100,000 unemployed youths will be trained in Abia State in various skills, which will prepare them for available jobs in and around the state,” he said.

Ikpeazu stated that Abia already have natural advantage as, “we have been imbued by God with innovative spirits as a people. It is therefore left to us to hone those latent talents properly and acquire the requisite type of education necessary to maximise our natural advantage”.

Already three technical schools have been chosen across the three senatorial zones to pioneer the revival of technical vocational education and serve as breeding ground for technically sound youths. They include Boys Technical College Aba, Secondary Technical School Afara Umuahia, and Government Technical College, Ohafia.

For effective implementation of the programme, BTC has already been renovated and equipped, while the governor promised that the schools at Umuahia and Ohafia would be renovated and equipped within the next 100 days.

“The onus is on us to train our youths to be able to match the workforce requirements of these industries and creative enterprises,” the Abia State governor said, adding that the major import of E4E is to give Abia people education that leads to employment.

Following widespread consultative meetings with stakeholders prior to the official launch of E4E, the private sector has expressed confidence in the programme.

Chairman of the occasion and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Innoson Group, Mr. Innocent Chukwuma, expressed his passion for youth empowerment and assured that he would support E4E programme and commended Governor Ikpeazu for initiating it.

The CEO, who was represented by the General Manager, Sales, Mr. Ossy Maduewesi, urged the would-be beneficiaries of the programme to make utmost use of the opportunity by setting goals on the skills they intend to acquire.
In his remarks the coordinator of E4E, Mr. Endi Ezengwa said that there was no going back in realising the vision of the programme given the passion the governor has to do it.

“We have the youths, we have the school and we have the industries,” he said adding that it would be ensured that everyone that enrolled in the programme come out with one skill or the other.

 

[ThisDay]