NYSC urges corps members to embrace skill acquisition, become job creators
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged corps members to utilise the opportunities provided by the scheme through the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) to become job creators.
SAED National Director, Mr Kehinde Aremu, made the call on Monday at the flag-off ceremony of the 2024 Batch ‘C’ Stream II SAED in-camp training programme at the NYSC camp in Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area of Benue.
Aremu explained that SAED was established to cater to the needs of corps members, providing them with the opportunity to learn various skills that would be immensely beneficial even after their service year.
He noted that the rate of unemployment in the country was high, advising them that it was in their best interest to acquire skills in order to beat joblessness after national service.
“The significance of acquiring skills In today’s world cannot be overemphasised as we continue to face high unemployment rates, driven in part by the growing number of graduates without corresponding job opportunities.
“The over-reliance on limited white-collar jobs has prompted the establishment of the SAED initiative. It is designed to address these challenges and empower you to become self-sufficient, innovative, and capable of contributing to Nigeria’s economic development as job creators rather than job seekers.
“The SAED programme’s mission is to create a platform that will facilitate access for young graduates to the essential skills and resources necessary for successful entrepreneurship as a means of enhancing national development,” Aremu explained.
The director disclosed that corps members would be introduced to 11 skill sets, each with its respective sub-skill areas, during the training for their choice and participation.
He further disclosed that soft loans would be available for serious-minded participants through SAED collaborating partners such as the Central Bank, the Bank of Industry, and many others.
Aremu, therefore, urged them to equip themselves with the skills, saying that it would become handy in the absence of white-collar jobs.
Also speaking, the Benue Coordinator of NYSC, Mrs Veronica Garba, who lauded the SAED initiative, urged corps members to leverage the programme to become self-sufficient and employers of labour after their service year.
It was gathered that motivational lectures were given by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and an ex-corps member turned SAED facilitator, one Miss Mary Adoche.
