The Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has partnered with the Hard Rock Self-Sufficiency Foundation to empower 411 youths across the state with various skills to promote self-reliance and reduce unemployment.

The youths were trained in catering, fashion design, shoe and bag making, cosmetology, solar installation, content creation, AI automation, among others.

Speaking during the graduation ceremony for the beneficiaries on Saturday at Queen of Apostles Parish, Kakuri, Kaduna, the CAN chairman, Rev. Caleb Ma’aji, said the initiative provided an opportunity for young people to acquire practical skills that would enable them to become self-reliant.

Mr Ma’aji said the programme would help address the challenge of youths waiting solely for formal employment, noting that government could not provide jobs for everybody.

He said CAN had embraced the initiative because of its potential to improve the livelihoods of young people, adding that the association would continue to support opportunities that would help them stand on their own.

Victor Amayo, founder of the Hard Rock Self-Sufficiency Foundation, said the initiative was conceived in response to unemployment, particularly among graduates who remained without jobs despite their qualifications.

“You see people walking around doing nothing. When you confront them, they tell you, ‘I’m a graduate, but there are no jobs.’ So, I saw this as a challenge,” Mr Amayo said.

He said the initiative, tagged the Kaduna State Mega Skills Acquisition Programme, was also intended to complement the government’s efforts by equipping youths with skills and reducing their dependence on formal employment.

Mr Amayo appealed to the government, international organisations and philanthropists to collaborate with the foundation and other stakeholders to expand skills-acquisition programmes and provide starter packs for beneficiaries.

Kabir Gambo, deputy director, Skills Development, Kaduna State Ministry of Business, Innovation and Technology, described the training as a significant achievement and commended the organisers, expressing hope that more youths would benefit from similar programmes in the future.

Some of the beneficiaries expressed appreciation to the organisers, saying it was an opportunity they had been praying for and would make good use of.

Agnes Johnson said the training had transformed her perception of tailoring, enabling her to cut and sew clothes for herself and her baby.

She said she hoped to establish a fashion school in the future to train people who could not afford to learn tailoring, adding that the skill would enable her to generate income.

Another beneficiary, Glory James, said the training had enabled her to acquire skills in baking and food preparation, which she had previously struggled to learn due to lack of funds.

She said she was able to bake a cake for her birthday in August and posted it on her social media status, attracting positive reactions and subsequent orders from people who saw her work.

(NAN)