Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
The Ekiti State Government, in partnership with the Microsoft Nigeria, has trained thousands of unemployed and underemployed youths across the state on new digital skills through the Global Skilling Initiative (GSI).
The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, also assured that the state government would pay for the certification examinations of up to 2,000 residents in various skills of their choice in order to improve their credentials under the GSI.
Fayemi, in a statement issue yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Yinka Oyebide, said the programme, which was designed by Microsoft and its partners, LinkedIn and GitHub, would help young people to acquire skills that would make them employable in the post-COVID-19 marketplace.
The governor added that entrepreneurs and business owners could use the programme to build the capacity of their various employees, promote professionalism, improved work output and excellent service delivery.
“Applicants will be trained on various skills such as customer service, digital marketing, financial analysis, graphics designing, IT support/help, desk technology, project management, sales development, data analysis, IT administration and software development. Successful participants will acquire industry-recognised IT Certification.
“The partnership is part of the state government’s strategic focus on the Ekiti Knowledge Zone initiative to ensure that Ekiti develops a talent pool that will make it an attractive destination for both domestic and international technology companies. It also reinforces the Ekiti heritage of being a knowledge-driven society.
“The GSI is Microsoft’s response to help 25 million people worldwide acquire new digital skills for the COVID-19 economy.”
