The Nigeria Youth SDGs (NGYouthSDGs) Network alongside its partner organisations has trained 90 youth across three states in digital skills through its Skill for Employment (SFE) programme.
Its three partners bringing this vision to fruition are Today for Tomorrow Foundation in Adamawa, SkillsPlug Africa in Benue, and Mind the Gap Initiative in Lagos.
The beneficiaries, who are from states including Lagos, Benue and Adamawa respectively, are among those whose livelihoods and employment were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beneficiaries included secondary school leavers, undergraduates, people living in rural communities, people with disabilities, people living below the poverty line, long term unemployed and others.
With support from International Labour Organisation participants were trained on employability skills like digital marketing, graphics design, and website development to improve their decent work prospects.
The Executive Director NGYouthSDGs, Joshua Alade, said: “Young people need to be empowered with skills they require to thrive in today’s technology driven workforce.
“We are excited at the opportunity to support young people with the skills they need and help them contribute to their economies and societies despite COVID19.”
He added that the SFE programme is truly inclusive, as it offers a learning stipend to participants with transportation and lunch to ensure their commitment.
SFE, Alade continue, aims to support the decent work aspirations of young people, especially those whose livelihoods were affected by the COVID19 pandemic.
While bemoaning that the past two years have seen a rise in unemployment because of the COVID-19 pandemic with young people being affected the most, he hinted on how transitioning to virtual learning and remote work has been difficult for the youn.
“SFE journey is to support young people to be prepared for technology-based jobs with employability skills training,” says Alade.
