FG urged to make skills acquisition compulsory for NYSC members

Mrs Pamela Latunji-Bello, the Chief Executive Officer,
Spectrum Beauty Academy, Lagos, on Saturday called
on the government to make vocational skills
acquisition compulsory under the National Youth
Service Corps (NYSC).
Latunji-Bello told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
that vocational training would equip young
graduates to be self- employed instead of
depending on elusive white-collar jobs.
“If the Federal Government should use part of the
money paid to NYSC members in training them in
the various vocations, it will go a long way in
reducing unemployment in the country.
“Skills acquisition should be mandatory for NYSC
members during the one year service; they must
learn a trade or the other and use their monthly
stipends as training fee.
“Because the vocations are where the money
is,’’she said.
The entrepreneur stressed the need for compulsory
capacity building for NYSC members
“The future of Nigeria lies in the skills of its
workforce.
“If we do not train them, we are just giving money
to people who will probably misuse it.’’
Latunji-Bello urged the nation’s policy makers to
place more emphasis skills acquisition at all levels
of the nation’s educational system.
“Let people stop seeing it as the pet project of
wives of state governors that should be done at
their spare time.
“It should be re-integrated into the school
curriculum, every university should give it a push.
“Every Nigerian graduate should start thinking of
having another profession or career,’’ she said.