IN furtherance of the Delta State Government’s commitment to create jobs and wealth for youths through entrepreneurship, the graduands of its Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP) in Fashion Design & Tailoring have received starter packs.
The graduands, 80 in number, were part of the 250 STEP graduands trained in Fashion Design and Tailoring in the 2020/2021 STEP Cycle who successfully completed all phases in the programme such as the orientation and personal Effectiveness Training, vocational training in various training centers, Entrepreneurship and Business Management Training (EBMT) and post training Proficiency Test (PTPT) to qualify for establishment with starter packs.
Addressing the beneficiaries, the Programme Co-ordinator (STEP) Mr. Onyeisi Nkenchor, while congratulating the new graduands for the successful completion of the programme charged them to judiciously use their starter packs and the wealth of knowledge acquired through the programme to become great entrepreneurs.
He said the STEP programme is a Special Purpose Vehicle which the state Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, instituted upon his assumption of office in 2015, to train unemployed youths to become entrepreneurs, managers and job creators, adding that one of the problems the state has is youth unemployment.
According to him, “The job and wealth creation programme was created to curb youth unemployment by training STEP beneficiaries to become entrepreneurs, managers and business people who would drive the economic diversification vision of the Governor Okowa-led administration in the state.
“So far, the State Government has trained over 6,000 people in its vocational skills and agricultural enterprises with over 4,500 of them in STEP and the beneficiaries are doing very well.”
He charged them to start up their businesses immediately after the festive period in order to put into practice all the knowledge acquired during the entrepreneurship and business management training (EBMT) and to send to the bureau their shop addressees so that they would be followed by the Directorate of Youth Monitoring and Mentoring (DYMM).
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr. Hilary Ezedi Junior, who hails from Ika North East Local Government Area said he was jobless since 2011 when he graduated from the university.
He expressed gratitude to the State Government for the opportunity given to him to be trained and established with stater pack through the STEP Programme, stressing that STEP has affected his life positively.
For Miss German Prayer who hails from Okpe Local Government Area, training in fashion design has been his passion since her university days. She expressed joy that Governor Okowa through STEP made it a reality.
“Now, I can confidently make clothes for myself, my husband, my children and my clients. I graduated from the university in 2014 and has been unemployed; with my starter pack, unemployment has ended,” she exclaimed.
By Laura Oghene
