The 2019/2020 Programme Cycle of the Delta State Government’s job creation programme will soon commence.
The Chief Job and Wealth Creation Officer, Prof Eric Eboh disclosed this in a work plan and implementation guideline meeting in his office to flag off the 2019/2020 STEP, YAGEP and GEEP Cycle.
Prof Eboh explained that the meeting was necessary following the approval of the 2019/2020 Job Creation Programme Work plan and Implementation Guideline by the State Executive Council.
According to him, the guideline will be published and made available to all the trainees, trainers, guarantors and to all stakeholders to update them on innovations and adjustments in the curriculum and training modules initiated after a thorough review of the programme in the past four years.
While stressing that the programmes are open to unemployed youths between 18 to 35 years of age with a minimum qualification of WAEC/SSCE, he said degree and HND holders must have their NYSC discharge certificates or letters of exemption.
He added that youths who desired to be trained and established under Green STEP and YAGEP must have the passion to acquire skills and to establish and run business enterprises on their own.
He reiterated the introduction of the Post Training Proficiency Test (PTPT) which he said is compulsory for all Green STEP beneficiaries on completion of their vocational training, pointing out that it is competence and good mastery of skill that would qualify a trainee to be established with starter pack.
He also said that the Brown STEP category would only admit candidates who do well in the Pre-Admission Proficiency Test, (PAPT).
To enable the beneficiaries to acquire the necessary skills and to gain good mastery of the enterprises for sustainability, the job creation boss said the duration of some of the vocational and agricultural enterprises would be extended beyond 3 and 6 months.
In the same vein, enterprises as Tiling and Interlocking; Fashion and Textile Design and PoP, Painting and Screening among others would be combined to strengthen and to make the enterprises more viable for the beneficiaries.
He said YAGEP would run within 4 to 6 months to expose the trainees to full production cycle of their chosen agricultural enterprise, while Green YAGEP would include Fish Production, Fish Processing and Poultry (Broiler), and Brown YAGEP agricultural enterprises as Poultry (broiler or layer), Fish Production, Fish Processing, Piggery, Cassava, Plantain, Tomato and Oil Palm.
He emphasized that all beneficiaries of YAGEP would have to provide their farm lands and location before they would qualify for establishment with starter pack and support from the state government.
Under the Graduate Employment Enhancement Programme (GEEP), he said internship and employability workshops to bring job recruitment agencies and job seeking professionals together would be organized to build capacity and to offer job readiness aptitudes for their self-improvement.
