The Subsidy Reinvestment Programme, SURE-P, has signed a partnership agreement with the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA to train some selected youths on software and other technology skills.
The training, which starts in January 2015 is an initiative of the SURE-P aimed at empowering 600 youths at the commencement of the scheme on software and allied IT services, will engage more youths as the programme lasts.
The Director General of NITDA, Dr. Peter Jack, at the signing ceremony, said, NITDA considered the partnership as a potent measure to accelerating the job creation drive of federal government and transforming the fortunes of poor and unemployed youths.
"Software industry and IT services have been recognized as having the potential to transform the economy, create jobs and contribute significantly to country’s GDP. It is also a potent tool to constructively engage the youths and stir up their creative ability.
"It is in the light of this that NITDA is partnering" with SURE-P to train and empower minimum of 600 selected interns across the six geo-political zones of the country in specific areas of information technology optimized for identified economic sectors," he said.
Jack, who was represented by the Acting Director of Software and Outsourcing, NITDA, Mr. Christopher Okeke, explained that the partnership is also expected to stimulate innovation and stir up the creative ability of the interns, and more so create job opportunities in selected areas of the economy.
Earlier in his address, the Director of Graduate Internship Scheme of the SURE-P, GIS, Mr. Per Papka explained that SURE-P under the scheme will provide the interns with welfare pack made up of a monthly stipend of N30, 000 over a period of 12 months, the programme will last.
On the other hand, Papka said NITDA will provide a laptop, the platform infrastructure, training content, venue, facilitators, mentors, and business incubation and certification exams for the interns.
Some of the identified areas of focus at the training include: agriculture; health; oil and gas; education and creative industry.
According to NITDA, the partnership while enhancing collaboration among government agencies and stimulating creativity among the interns is equally expected to establish a minimum of 30 small and medium scale business ventures by the interns within the next three years.
Source: Vanguard