Abia targets youths for technical education

AUGUST 21, 2015 : STEPHEN
UKANDU

Abia State governor,
Okezie Ikpeazu Abia State Government says no fewer than 100,000 youths
across the 17 Local Government Areas in the state will benefit from
its proposed "Education for Empowerment" programme aimed at reviving
technical skills among youths.

Deputy Governor, Ude Okochukwu, who disclosed this at a stakeholders'
engagement meeting held in Umuahia, added that already, three
technical colleges, namely Boys Technical College, Aba; Government
Technical College, Ohafia; and Afara Technical College, Umuahia had
been selected to serve as pilot take-off schools for the project.

He said that the project, which is expected to commence in a month's
time, was aimed at reviving technical colleges in the state to train
youths on technical skills for self-reliance.

Okochukwu also regretted the dwindling interest of youths in
vocational studies, adding that the state was determined to encourage
technical skills among youths to curb youth unemployment.

He hinted that the state had engaged the services of the proprietor
of Kiara College in United Kingdom, Mr. Endi Ezengwa, "to help revive
technical and vocational education" in the state.

Meanwhile participants at the forum were unanimous that revival of
technical skills among youths should be given a priority by
stakeholders to help reduce unemployment.

Later in an interview, Ezengwa told journalists that equipping Abia
youths with technical skills was a better form of empowerment than
giving them vehicles.

He maintained that inculcating technical skills in youths would help
them become "publicly employed, privately employed or self- employed".
Ezengwa further said the training would be based on the manpower needs
of the local industries, adding that the industrialists would be
engaged to make known their specific manpower needs.

According to him, the project will help improve the standards of
goods produced by the small scale industries in Aba, the industrial
hub of the South-East zone.

He also said that psychometric tests would be conducted for the
trainees to determine their
educational and entrepreneurial capabilities to enable them to train
in the area of competence.