In order to reduce the unemployment rate and total reliance on government for employment, Saint Augustine’s Parish Umuoba- Anam in Anambra East Local Government Area has organized a one-day skill acquisition programme for the parish youths.
The event the first of its kind in the parish will be a continuous exercise, aimed at educating and training beneficiaries on skills that will enable them create wealth, and refocus their mindset on entrepreneurial development.
Correspondent Emmanuel Chigbata reports that the training was designed for Holy Child Association of the church, which are children between the ages of one and eight, Catholic Boys and Girls Organizations, children between nine and seventeen years and Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria, which are adults from eighteen years and above.
The youths were equally trained on mechanical repairs, electrification, art and sculpture, wood work technology, tie and dye, floor desert, bakery, confectioneries, and hair dressing.
Declaring the event open, the Parish Priest of the Church, Reverend Father Clement Aghadinuno, urged the participants to see the training as an opportunity to be self-reliant regretting that many youths have indulged in various negative activities as a result of unemployment and idleness.
He reminded the youths the importance of skills in their lives and advised them to learn challenging skills so that their community daily indispensable needs will be met.
In his speech, the traditional ruler of Umuoba-Anam, Igwe George Ekwealor, expressed optimism that the programme would impact positively on the lives of the youths, even as he thanked the Parish Priest for Organizing such laudable programme.
The Chairman on the occasion, Mr. Frank Anatogu, and a guest at the event, Mr Stan Nwaka, pointed out that skill acquisition is an alternative to white collar jobs that are not readily available.
Some of the participants, including Master Ofoma Ndife and Miss Maryann Ali, thanked the Parish Priest for the training, assuring to utilize the knowledge garnered from it to become self-reliant.
At the end of the programme, the participants made presentation of what they produced from the training.