Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin, Kwara State, has trained 500 youths on entrepreneurship skills.
The training was held at the institute’s campus, Ilorin, with participants drawn from the six geo-political zones in the country.
The director-general of MINILS, Comrade Issa Aremu, said the rationale behind the training was to promote employability of youths in the country.
Aremu said beyond certificates, youths in the country need vocational and entrepreneurship skills for sustainable jobs.
He said the youths were trained in cinematography and photography, carpentry and wood work, tie and dye to help instill in them skills to be self-employed and become employers of labour.
He said the institute organised the training to complement President Bola Tinubu’s eight-point agenda on youth empowerment, job creation, economic growth and others.
“We are diversifying our training beyond traditional courses of maintaining industrial peace and harmony at workplaces to include massive job creation through skills acquisition.
“It is time for our youths to think beyond white collar jobs and add more value through their innate talents. That is the reason we are training and retraining them for better employability.
“We want to ensure youths have the skills that when they leave school, they become employers of labour and also become employable,” he said.