By Asuquo Cletus
The Entrepreneurship Development Centre of the University of Calabar has partnered with the Cross River State Government to drive the implementation of the Vocational Skills Empowerment Programme aimed at equipping youths with market-relevant skills.
The partnership followed a three-day working visit by the Special Adviser to the governor on Local Content, Awatt Caleb, to technical training centres across the state in preparation for the commencement of the first batch of the initiative.
The VoSEP programme is an initiative of the administration of Governor Bassey Otu, designed to bridge the skills gap and empower residents with practical competencies to enhance employability and entrepreneurship.
During a visit to the centre in Calabar, the Director of the Entrepreneurship Development Centre, Bassey Ebi, expressed the institution’s readiness to collaborate with the state government for the successful rollout of the programme.
Ebi described the initiative as timely, noting that it aligns with the centre’s mandate to build entrepreneurial capacity among youths.
“This is a signal to a new dawn for Cross River youths. We will partner with the government to ensure that our young people become self-reliant, job creators and active contributors to development,” he said.
He added that graduates of the programme would be issued standard certifications to enhance their competitiveness in the labour market.
Also speaking, a senior official of the centre, Markson Aniedi-Abasi, said the programme would address the challenge of low employability among youths, stressing that skills acquisition remained critical to economic growth.
He commended the state government for approving the initiative and reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to its success.
Speaking earlier, Caleb said the programme would cover a wide range of vocational areas, including ICT, welding and fabrication, solar electrical installation, tailoring and fashion design, hairdressing, carpentry, food processing, and other trades.
He noted that the initiative was designed to provide hands-on, practical training that would enable beneficiaries to participate effectively in the digital economy.
The visit featured a tour of the centre’s facilities and ended with a commitment by both parties to sustain collaboration towards youth empowerment and economic development in the state.
