The Edo Skills Development Agency (EdoJobs) says it has trained over 500 youth in the three senatorial districts of the state on Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
This is contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to Edo Governor on Media and Commission Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie, on Friday.
It quoted the Managing Director, EdoJobs, Mrs Ukinebo Dare, as saying that the training was targeted at equipping the youth with the right skillsets to build careers in Nigeria’s technology scene.
Dare said that 50 participants were currently undergoing courses on data science and artificial intelligence, while 500 others had participated in the programme since its commencement.
She said that the next phase of the training would take place in Auchi, Ekpoma, Irrua and Igbesanmwan communities, with each centre training about 33 people.
The director said that EdoJobs had continued to lead in extensive skills development programmes across the state.
“Edojobs has contributed significantly to the over 150,000 jobs created by the Obaseki-led government.
“The State has leveraged on human capacity building in creating the skilled manpower required to drive its industrialisation plans.”
“We are confident that these training will equip our youth with skills and the expertise to pursue careers in science and technology while providing them with the needed insight to thrive in the ICT-dominated digital world.”
She said that the skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development programmes were opportunities for more youth to gain sellable skills that would make them stand out as entrepreneurs and employers of labour.
She continued: “Entrepreneurship development will further address the problem of poverty, hunger, unemployment, and ever-rising criminality among the youth.
Dare added that several training programmes were ongoing at the Edo Innovation Hub in Benin, the Edo capital.