The 2020/2021 Cycle of the Delta State Government’s Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Training (STEP) has been flagged off with a call on the trainees to be committed to the programme in order to create the needed values in the society as entrepreneurs.

 

 The flag off which included a one-day Orientation Workshop tagged, “Orientation and Personal Effectiveness Training (OPET)”, held in Asaba, the state capital.

 

It was attended by 320 enrollees who successfully scaled through the screening process.

 

Delivering his opening lecture, “Orientation Workshop for 2020/2021 for STEP Trainees (1st Batch),” the Chief Job and Wealth Creation Officer, Prof Eric Eboh, charged the trainees to take the training seriously in order to build themselves into entrepreneurs, capable of sustaining their enterprises.

 

He congratulated them for their success at the screening exercise which qualified them to be enrolled in the STEP programme, adding that the orientation workshop was packaged to enlighten them about the processes, rules and guidelines of the 2019/2020 programme and  prepare them for a successful take off and their participation in the programme.

 

Prof. Eboh pointed out the philosophy behind  initiating the Job Creation Scheme in the state was to create a lasting legacy of a new generation of youth entrepreneurs who were well motivated, inspired, skilled and adequately enabled to become self-employed and business owners.

 

He disclosed that over 5,000 youths had benefited from STEP/YAGEP in the past 5 years, adding that the 2020/2021 STEP/YAGEP Programme Cycle would engage 1,000 unemployed youths in the state.

 

He affirmed that the vocational skills in the first batch of the OPET included Fashion Design and Tailoring (7 months), Welding and Fabrication (8 months), Electrical Installation and Solar Works (8 months) and Tiling and Interlocking (6 months.)

 

The job creator tasked them to shun truancy and absenteeism, stressing the need for them to uphold integrity, credibility and discipline which, he said, STEP and YAGEP were known for in the state.

 

“I will not stop emphasising discipline. Indiscipline is the main cause of our problems. This programme is special because it is founded on discipline. The quality, integrity and disciple in the programme account for its high success rate which has earned the state governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, national and international recognitions,” he said.

 

Continuing, he stated that “The Governor has made provisions for everyone enrolled in the programme. Out of the 5,074 beneficiaries of this programme in the past 5 years, every one of them received their entitlements and were established with their start-up support packages. That is integrity."

 

He informed them that they must pass through the four training phases of Orientation and Personal Effectiveness Training, Entrepreneurship and Business Management Training, Vocational Skills Training, and Completion Proficiency Test successfully before they would be established with starter packs.

 

On his part, the Commissioner for Youth Development, Comrade Michael Egwunyenga, tasked them to develop the right mindset of seeing the opportunity as a privilege to succeed in their chosen enterprises.

 

He pointed out that the level of success they would achieve in their enterprises would depend on them and the attitude with which they handled their enterprises.

 

Also speaking, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Youth Monitoring and Mentoring (DYMM), Mr Edward Mekwunye, stated “The Role and Activities of the Directorate of Youth Monitoring and Mentoring in Relation to STEP Trainees,” adding that the mandate of DYMM was to sustain the success recorded in the programme over the years.

 

He notified them that they would be monitored and mentored regularly at their training centres to ensure their success, admonishing them that any trainee found wanting would be expelled from the programme.

 

Speaking on behalf of others, Eredami Saturday and Onaiwu Florence  enrolled in Welding and Fabrication expressed their gratitude to the state government for the opportunity given them to acquire vocational skills, pledging to apply all the tips on business success acquired from the workshop effectively towards becoming self-employed.