Twenty-six youths from Region Seven on Wednesday graduated from the state’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training programme.
The programme for out-of-school youth was facilitated through the National Training Programme for Youth Empowerment (NTPYE), a press release from the Government Information agency (GINA) said. The youth graduated from a batch of 32 that had been on placement. The training is delivered through a programme of on-the-job attachment along with a short period of classroom tuition, to prepare the youth for employment. The classroom sessions exposed the trainees to related technology and ‘Life Skills Education’.
Chairman of the Board of Industrial Training, Dr Dale Bisnauth in his address said the programme is primarily for youths who could not complete their secondary education or did not do well at the examination. He said this was their second chance to equip themselves with a skill that would make them employable. In his charge Bisnauth told the students to use their skills to develop national resources and to grow as deep as the country would allow and to go as high as it is possible for them to go. He also encouraged them to be disciplined and knowledgeable about their field and to use their training as a stepping stone to realizing their goals.
Programme Coordinator Coreen Connelly pointed out that the graduates were trained in 10 fields which saw 12 entities involved. Some of the areas of training were clerical, dental assistant, nurse aide, mechanical, cosmetology, carpentry and medical laboratory assistant. This batch of graduates comprised 13 males and 13 females, which according to Connelly is a testament that more males are looking to qualify themselves.
Meanwhile Regional Chairman Holbert Knights said he was delighted at the high rate of completion which he said is testimony to the realization of the importance of the training. He noted that the RDC does its best to support the education department, noting that the bulk of its budget goes toward education. Knights said too an important component to success among youth is the presence of parents in their lives.
According to GINA this is the first time that the NYPYE programme was held in Region Seven and it was made possible through assistance from the private sector which provided on-the-job training for the recruits.
