By Mustapha Salisu
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has commenced an onboarding programme for 50 young people selected under its Inclusive Economic Environment (IEE) Pathways Project, supported by the British Council.
Speaking at the programme launch on Wednesday in Kano, CITAD Senior Programme Officer and Project Lead, Isa Garba, said the onboarding was designed to help beneficiaries understand the objectives, components and milestones of the project.
Garba said the project has two tracks which are employment and enterprise tracks, all aimed at equipping participants with practical skills needed to improve their employability and entrepreneurial capacity.
He explained that beneficiaries would first undergo eight weeks of foundational skills training before proceeding into their respective tracks.
According to him, participants on the employment track will receive training on 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 workplaces to gain practical experience.
Garba clarified that the internship would not guarantee permanent employment but would provide participants with practical workplace experience and skills required by employers.
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For those on the enterprise track, he said the training would focus on entrepreneurship, financial discipline, market surveys and other practical aspects of running sustainable businesses.
He said the project was designed to address 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 added that the enterprise component would help participants adopt more effective approaches to entrepreneurship, strengthen existing businesses and potentially create employment opportunities for others.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Khadija Yusuf appreciated CITAD for providing the participants with the opportunity to be part of the programme.
She said she expected to gain more knowledge and access to useful resources through the training, pledging to utilise the knowledge and skills gained judiciously.