In a major boost to the state’s human capital development, the Cross River State government has launched a comprehensive skill acquisition program for 300 indigenous youths, funded by a ₦90 million World Bank IDEAS TVET grant after a competitive bidding among several institutions in the country.
The initiative, facilitated by the Director-General of the Cross River State government-owned Teachers Continuous Training Institute (TCTI) Biase, Professor Taoheed Adedoja, is designed to tackle youth unemployment by equipping young Cross Riverians with industry-standard technical skills.
The six-month intensive program soon to be launched by the World Bank in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Education-Abuja, will focus on high-demand ICT system sectors such as computer and telephone hardware repairs and maintenance, network system installation and ICT-related technical training.
Speaking on the rollout, Professor Adedoja confirmed that the first phase of the project has already commenced. Last week participants underwent a rigorous three-day orientation, accreditation and finalization process and are scheduled to begin formal training within the week.
Unlike traditional short-term training, this World Bank-funded Innovation Development and Effectiveness in Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) project offers a sustainable path to entrepreneurship.
“The exercise will happen simultaneously over six months and the TCTI is the Training Service Provider (TSP),” Professor Adedoja stated. “Upon completion, beneficiaries will receive professional certification and startup kits to enable them to operate independently as business owners.”
To further support the trainees, the program includes a monthly monetary stipend for the duration of the course, ensuring that financial constraints do not hinder their learning progress.
The 300 participants were selected through a collaborative process involving indigenous stakeholders from Biase Local Government Area. The project is being managed by Dr. Emmanuel Omini, TCTI’s Acting Director of ICT as the service training manager.
Beyond the immediate benefit to the 300 youths, the successful execution of this phase will open doors for TCTI to a larger strategic purpose due to the world class records set by the Director-General of the institution.
A verified track record of the successful exercise will qualify Cross River State for an even larger World Bank funded project focused on training teachers on youth skill acquisition statewide.
