The Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has launched the Youth Employment Pathways (YEP) program in Ondo State, aiming to train over 300 youths in entrepreneurial skills.
The program, part of PIND’s Youth Employment Pathways Project for the Niger Delta (NDYEP), has already benefited over 5,000 youths in four different states. The training will cover diverse skills such as agriculture, Information Communication Technology (ICT), building construction, fashion designing, and catering. The target participants are mainly women, youths, and people with disabilities between the ages of 16 to 30. The initiative aims to empower participants to either find employment or establish their own businesses.
PIND is collaborating with four implementing partners to ensure the success of the YEP program in Ondo State.
The concept of the program involves youths exchanging critical ideas with top executives to gain experience and plan for the future.
PIND’s program director, Mr. Effiong Essien, commended the Ondo State government for providing an enabling environment for the project.
Representing the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on youth empowerment in Ondo State, Mr. Owei Ebiteju Toikumo, expressed appreciation for PIND’s partnership on the program. He highlighted the importance of engaging unemployed youths in vocational training, commending PIND for extending its programs to benefit Ondo State. Mrs. Olayinka Akinpelu, one of the partners of YEP, emphasized that the project aims to facilitate the evolution of youths, enabling them to secure employment or start their own businesses and become employers of labor by the end of the program.
