This section shows key achievements in Quarter 4 of 2020 for the initiative implemented under the Skills Development for Youth Employment project. With funding support from Ford Foundation, the Niger Delta Youth Employment Pathways (NDYEP) project was designed to analyze opportunities for employment creation and develop models of youth job-readiness or workforce development in key growth sectors in Abia, Akwa Ibom and Rivers States. In the second year of the two–year pilot intervention expected to end in December 2020, PIND is targeting to train and equip 3,000 youth in the three project pilot States with market relevant technical and soft skills.
Building on the implementation models, lessons and results from the previous quarters, PIND continued to advance the technical and behavioral skills trainings in aquaculture, building construction, finished leather and ICT sector. In the previous quarter, eleven implementing partners provided training and post–training support to 1,471 young persons and supported 481 graduates to secure waged employment.
In the reporting period, 1,416 out of the 1,467 youths who started the training in NDYEP phase II, completed the training in addition to 1,471 (completedfrom1stbatch), bringing the total number of youths with skills at the end of the second phase to 2,887 – Abia (980), Akwa Ibom (803) and Rivers (1,104).
Disaggregating the number of the youth who have completed the training, 996 were in aquaculture, 461 in construction, 1,236 in ICT/Renewable Energy, and 194 in Finished Leather. The 2,887 constitutes 90.8% of the overall 3,180 youths who had enrolled for the training surpassing the strategic target of 2,172.Among the 2,887 who completed their training, 1,288 youths have been linked to employment or started enterprise as at the end ofQ42020, which constitutes 86% of the strategic targets of 1,500. This was due to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the economy in 2020.
