CITAD, British Council Train 50 Kano Youths on Economic Inclusion
Kola Oyelere Kano
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), with support from the British Council, has commenced an onboarding programme for 50 young people selected under its Inclusive Economic Environment (IEE) Pathways Project.
Speaking at the launch of the programme in Kano on Wednesday, CITAD Senior Programme Officer and Project Lead, Isa Garba, said the onboarding was aimed at helping beneficiaries understand the objectives, components and milestones of the project.
Garba explained that the project has two major tracks — employment and enterprise — designed to equip participants with practical skills to enhance their employability and entrepreneurial capacity.
He said the beneficiaries would first undergo eight weeks of foundational skills training before proceeding to their respective tracks.
According to him, participants under the employment track would receive training in workplace ethics, resilience, self-effectiveness and other skills required to become responsible and effective employees.
He added that they would subsequently undertake six-week internships with companies and other workplaces to acquire practical experience.
Garba, however, clarified that the internships would not guarantee permanent employment, but would provide participants with valuable workplace experience and skills required by employers.
For beneficiaries on the enterprise track, he said the training would focus on entrepreneurship, financial discipline, market surveys and other practical aspects of establishing and running sustainable businesses.
He said the project was designed to bridge the gap between academic qualifications and the practical skills required in the labour market.
“Many of our young people are not employable because they only have the certificate but not practical skills. Now that they will gain practical skills, it will be easy for them to get employment and be self-reliant,” Garba said.
He further explained that the enterprise component would enable participants to adopt more effective approaches to entrepreneurship, strengthen existing businesses and potentially create employment opportunities for others.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Khadija Yusuf expressed appreciation to CITAD for providing them with the opportunity to participate in the programme.
She said she expected to acquire additional knowledge and gain access to useful resources through the training, pledging to make judicious use of the knowledge and skills acquired.