By Samuel Oyadongha ,  Yenogoa

Shell Petroleum  Development Company (SPDC) yesterday said it spent over N103m in the training of 95 Bayelsans from its Nembe Creek Cawthorne Channel Trunk Line Replacement (NCTL) project.

Aside, the youth empowerment programme, the company said the NCTL project, has contributed greatly to the development of communities across the five project clusters in the state by way of providing steady employment for over 600 youths as well as contributing over N300m into the cluster GMoU to fund sustainable community development project.

 The youths trained in wielding and fabrication, computer and secretariat services, auto-mechanic and repairs centre, fashion design and tailoring, confectionery & catering services, printing & lithography and electrical wiring/electronic repairs were drawn from the five project clusters namely Odioma, Ibidi, Idema, Nembe Ogbolomabiri and Nembe Bassambiri clusters. 

The training programme was conducted by Delta State University, Abraka at the end of which the trainees took the Trade Test II & III examinations administered by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Yenagoa the SPDC General Manager, Sustainable Development and Community Relations Mr. Tony Attah who was represented by Mr. Evans Krukrubo said the Youth Training and Enterprise Development Programme (YTEP) was part of the commitments made in the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) agreement signed between the various project clusters and the company.

“This initiative is part of the project’s social investment strategy which aims to tackle youth unemployment in the project clusters by providing employment opportunities beyond the worksites,” he said.