The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Jigawa said it trained 1,438 corps members in various income-generating skills in the state, under its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme.

SAED’s Deputy Director in the state, Umar Muhammad, said this at the closing ceremony of the training on Saturday in Dutse.

Mr Muhammad said the benefiaries, comprising 802 males and 636 females of the 2022 Batch ‘B’ stream I corps members, received the nine-day training in various income-generating trades.

He explained that the beneficiaries acquired different skills ranging from bricks and interlock production, electrical/solar installation, poultry/agro allied, photography, automobile mechanic and leather work.

They were also trained in design making, recharge card production, horticulture, make up, cosmetology/toiletries, barbing, graphic design, food processing and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

The deputy director noted that the training was aimed at equipping the corps members to be able to start and manage their own businesses.

“I advise you to take this training seriously so as to be self-reliant and employers of labour if you manage your businesses well.

“The SEAD training schemes were specifically designed to tackle unemployment and reduce youth restiveness through the provision of functional skills.

“This is because the era of white-collar jobs is gone, hence the need to re-create the blue collar-job, which entails manual activities.

“So, our youths should take advantage of the SEAD and acquire skills on different income-generating trades as a matter of priority,” the deputy director advised.

(NAN)