Skills acquisition: Obaseki, POP dealers mull training facility for youths

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has assured members of the Association of Plaster of Paris Dealers of Edo State (APPDES), that a training facility will be equipped by his administration to train youths on technical skills, especially for specialized area, such as POP craft, in the state.

The governor gave the assurance during a courtesy visit by members of APPDES, led by the President, Shola Atsedagho, to Government House in Benin City, Edo State.

Obaseki said Plaster of Paris (POP) and contemporary painting have high impact on job creation and specialization as it is rumored that Nigerians go to neighboring countries to source people for POP jobs.

He noted that though demand for POP technicians is high, he said it was unfortunate that the state does not have enough people to provide the service.

“This is why I wanted to meet with your group to agree on how to collaborate with you under our job creation initiative so as to provide facilities to train our youths.

“I don’t believe in just training people for the jobs. We will work with Edo Development and Property Agency (EDPA) and the Ministry of Wealth Creation, Cooperatives and Employment to look for a facility immediately where we can train our people.”

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He noted that the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development registers different building sites in the state and is capable of providing the relevant information on the needs and services of POP dealers.

He added, “As a government, we can arrange something but it will not be driven by the government as the government is an enabler. What we will do is to support the association to enable them provide the needed training for our youths.”

President of the association, Shola Atsedagho, said the association intends to collaborate with the state government on the training of youths across the state to increase the number of people skilled in POP craft.

According to Atsedagho, the move is to assist Governor Obaseki fulfill his election campaign promise to create 200,000 jobs, adding, “We are here to also inform you that the association will be having an induction ceremony for some youths who have already acquired the skills.  The induction will come up on November 30, 2018 in Benin City.”