The Edo Skills Development Agency (EdoJobs) said 25 youths in five local government areas of the state will soon complete free capacity building programmes in welding and fabrication.

The Project Head, Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Unit, Olaniyi Omole, disclosed this in an interview on Tuesday in Benin.

He said that the proficiency training was part of the government’s strategies to create jobs for the youths.

Omole said the training in welding and fabrication would empower the beneficiaries to be self-employed and provide services and manpower to boost the economy of the state.

He added that further training would be available to interested youths in the state to enable them to acquire certification and be gainfully employed.

He said EdoJobs had entered into a partnership with owners of welders and fabrication workshops in Edo North Senatorial District to train the beneficiaries.

Omole said five youths picked from various localities for the apprenticeship programme were assigned to each workshop in five councils in Edo North Senatorial District.

“The programme which started in 2020 will end in February 2021 with graduation of the trainees.

The project lead said the beneficiaries would be given starter-packs and workshopsat the end of the training to tonable them to establish their businesses.

“Edojobs will be giving the trainees welding machines as starter-packs, and we want to ensure they have a place to work after the training.

“We are working with the five LGA chairmen to get the beneficiaries spaces for their businesses; the idea is to put them in clusters; five persons per cluster,” he said.

He urged the beneficiaries to put the starter-pack into efficient use by setting up their own small-scale businesses as the state government would also provide working capital for them.

Omole warned against selling the starter-packs after graduation saying the progress of their businesses would be monitored.