Hot SourceSeriki Adinoyi in Jos
Plateau State Government has proposed a supplementary budget of N2billion to expand the Plateau Youth Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition (PLAYESA) for Wealth programme, aimed at equipping young people with practical skills in ICT, fashion, and leatherworks.
The state Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Musa Achom, disclosed this during the flag-off of the current batch of PLAYESA training organised by the State Ministry for Youth and Sports Development in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, at the National Youth Centre, Shere Hills, Jos.
He explained that the fund, once approved by the state House of Assembly, would strengthen youth empowerment initiatives and position Plateau State as a hub for digital technology and the creative industry.
Ashom said: “The training is for young people to acquire skills, because not everyone can get white-collar jobs. In this batch, we have 150 participants, and another 100 will join soon, making a total of 250 youths drawn from the 17 local government areas of Plateau State.”
“At the end of the programme, they will gain ICT, fashion design, shoemaking, and bag production skills, because these are trades people have made fortunes from, and we cannot be left behind.”
He added that the government is intentional about youth development, stressing that empowerment must be deliberate.
“The supplementary budget season is here, and as a ministry, we have requested the House of Assembly to approve ₦2billon so that our young people will be exposed to different skills. In ICT, we want Plateau State to become a hub.
“The state governor has donated the Joseph Gomwalk House to serve as an ICT centre for our youths. The Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy is also laying 30km of fibre optics in the state. So, Plateau State is going to become an ICT hub, and we want our youths to take advantage,” he said.
In her remarks, the Zonal Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Deborah Simon Pitmang, noted that the training is strictly focused on skills acquisition under the ‘Skills for Wealth’ scheme.
According to her, “The trade areas have been streamlined into three core areas: ICT, fashion design, and leather works. Our role is strictly to facilitate and train. This is not ‘skills for WhatsApp.’ This programme is meant to give you start-up kits and empower you to create wealth, not to sell the equipment for quick cash.”
Some of the participants described the initiative as a life-changing opportunity, particularly because of its emphasis on practical training and provision of start-up kits.
A trainee said: “This is a very good initiative, and I must applaud the governor. The world is moving digitally, and with the ICT training, it will boost so many things and give us an eye opener on how the ICT world works. When I go back, I’ll do more research and put in more effort to make something out of it for myself.”
Other participants in fashion design and leatherworks also expressed optimism that the programme would enable them to build sustainable livelihoods and empower their families, while commending the government for what they described as a rare and timely intervention in addressing youth unemployment.
The PLAYESA Skills for Wealth programme, launched under Governor Caleb Mutfwang, is designed to train youths across the 17 LGAs of the state in entrepreneurship and vocational skills.
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