Federal Government and the Taraba Government on Wednesday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to operationalise FG’s Skills Upgrading and Vocational Training Centre (SUVTC), for job creation and poverty reduction in Taraba.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr Simon Lalong, said during the event in Abuja, that the MoU would operationalise the SUVTC, located at Ibi, Ibi Local Government Area of the state.

Lalong congratulated the state government for keying into the vision of President Bola Tinubu on job creation and poverty reduction, through skills development.

He commended Gov. Agbu Kefas of Taraba for taking the bold step to stem unemployment and encouraged other states to key in.

He assured the government of the ministry’s continued support to strengthen skills development in the state.

“President Tinubu has said that he wants to take our youths out of the streets and by God’s grace, we will take people off the streets,” the minister said.

Earlier, the Minister of State in the ministry, Mrs Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, said that the SUVTC was designed to equip Nigerians with relevant skills.

This, Onyejeocha said, would create employment opportunities for Nigerian youths, adding that certificate was simply not enough.

“I am encouraging graduates to upgrade their skills because certificates may not work but skill will keep you going,” she said.

Also, Mrs Juliana Adebambo, the acting Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said that Borno government had completed a similar process, adding that the skills centre at Konduga was fully operational.

Adebambo equally said that Kano, Kaduna, and Edo state governments had also shown interest in the initiative.

According to her, establishment of skills centres, particularly in rural areas will significantly help in curbing the menace of unemployment and youth restiveness.

On his part, Gov. Kefas, who was represented by Mr Habu Phillips, Commissioner, Ministry of Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation, commended the federal government for the partnership.

He expressed optimism that the MoU would help significantly in creating jobs to address the problem of unemployment in the state.

This, according to him, is in line with the renewed hope agenda of President Tinubu and the moving agenda of Taraba government.

He explained that based on the MoU, Taraba government would take over the management of the centre for the benefit of all residents of the state.

The governor said that the government would train between 5,000 and 7,000 women and youths on different skills in the next three years.

“We have put in place proactive measures and effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure the smooth running of the centre to achieve desired results,” he aid.

He urged the federal government to build more skill centres across the state to increase access.