By  Tony Edike

ENUGU—THE National Directorate of Employment in Enugu State has presented equipment and tools to 119 artisans and youths, who graduated from its vocational skill training programmes.

The youths who were trained in various vocational programmes such as catering, fashion design, bricklaying amongst others, were given the equipment to empower them commence the trade for which they have been trained.

The beneficiaries were given six months moratorium, after which they would start repaying the loans used in procuring the equipment expected to be fully repaid in four years time.

Speaking on the occasion, the State Coordinator of the NDE, Mrs. Buchi Ojei said that the beneficiaries had acquired marketable skills during training, which would change their status from being unemployed to employers of labour in a short time.

She explained that the resettlement initiative of the agency was designed to generate employment and reduce poverty in the country, adding that the emphasis of the NDE was to make the youths self-reliant.

Ojei charged the beneficiaries to open accounts with the Nigeria Agricultural, Cooperative and Rural Development Bank, which she said was collaborating with the NDE to provide financial assistance to those involved in the  agency’s programmes.