Authorities of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Bayelsa State has confirmed the training of twenty-Five indigenes from the existing Eight local Government council areas of the State in Environmental Beatification Skills.

The training, which is organised under the Environmental Beatification Training Scheme and expected to last for three months, will be conducted under two categories of Hard Core landscaping and Soft training in Horticulture, Gardening and Parks.

The Acting Director General of the NDE, Olakunle Obayan,while speaking in Yenagoa during the opening ceremony at the weekend, said the training was designed to align with the current demands of general economic activities and enhancement of self emploment.

Obayan, who was represented at the event by the Bayelsa NDE Coordinator , Mr. Sunday Abrakasa, said the programme is an employment generation strategy to combat the menace of unemployment in the country despite current dwindling economic situation in the country.

According to Abrakasa,” the training will impact specialised and marketable skills on the targeted unemployed youths,better equipping them and enhancing their chances of being employed or becoming entrepreneurs. The environmental Beatification Training Schene (EBTS), conceptualised by the Special Public Works Department is one of the programmes carried out in line with the NDE mandate.”

Abrakasa noted that though the programme of the NDE is faced with the challenges of funds for stipends to beneficiaries and attitude of beneficiaries to NDE programmes,” the post training components will ensure that Ten of the beneficiaries will be presented with starter packs.This is where attitude and discipline shows.”