The Ebonyi State Government has committed ₦100 million to train 100 indigenes in articulated truck driving and heavy-duty equipment operation as part of efforts to boost youth employment and provide skilled manpower for the state’s growing industrial sector.
The Commissioner for Skills Development and Job Creation, Prof. Ajuka Obasi Nwogo, disclosed this on Monday in Abakaliki, explaining that the initiative would equip young people with practical, industry-relevant skills and reduce the need to recruit specialised workers from outside the state.
According to the commissioner, the selected beneficiaries will participate in an intensive four-week training programme at the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria, Kaduna State.
The state government will cover the cost of registration, tuition, accommodation, feeding and transportation. Participants will also receive stipends to support them throughout the programme.
Nwogo said the Ebonyi youth skills development programme was designed partly to prepare indigenous workers for employment opportunities expected to emerge from the proposed cement industry and other industrial and infrastructure projects across the state.
He explained that the initiative aligns with the government’s commitment to empowering young people with practical skills that can help them become economically independent and self-reliant.
The training will cover articulated truck driving, heavy-duty equipment operation and safety procedures. Equipment to be covered includes bulldozers, forklifts, tractors and other agricultural machinery.
The commissioner added that participants who successfully complete the programme would receive two certificates to strengthen their professional qualifications and help them obtain the appropriate driving licences.
He noted that the training was open to both male and female youths, with the expectation that the acquired skills would improve their employment prospects in both the public and private sectors, including opportunities beyond Ebonyi State.
He explained that the programme, which was initially planned to last three months, had been compressed into four weeks to enable participants to complete the training before Christmas.
The commissioner said some beneficiaries could be considered for engagement by relevant state ministries, particularly those responsible for works and infrastructure. However, he emphasised that the initiative was not designed exclusively to produce workers for government agencies.
On plans to train personnel in heavy-duty equipment maintenance, Nwogo clarified that the current phase would concentrate on equipment operation and safety. The government would evaluate the programme’s outcome before determining the next steps.
He also disclosed that the state was collaborating with NITT to improve access to specialised technical training, noting that the institute’s transport technology centre at Uwana in Ebonyi State was not operating at full capacity.
Nwogo expressed the government’s intention to sustain the initiative, saying it would help expand technical expertise, improve youth employability and develop the local workforce needed to support Ebonyi’s emerging industries.
The investment represents part of the state government’s broader effort to strengthen technical skills, create employment pathways for young people and ensure that indigenes can benefit from industrial and infrastructure development within the state.
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