Delta Government Commences 2022 STEP Cycle with Orientation

By Gertrude Onyekachukwu-Uteh and Ese Laura Oghene

The 2022 cycle of the Delta State Government’s Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP) has begun with a call on the trainees to adhere strictly to the guidelines in STEP Code of Conduct.

The Chief Job and Wealth Creation Officer and the Head of the Delta State Job and Wealth Creation Bureau, Prof Eric Eboh, made the call during the Orientation and Personal Effectiveness Training (OPET) for successful candidates enrolled on the 2022 STEP cycle in Asaba.

The beneficiaries numbering 525 were carefully selected out of 12, 267 candidates who applied for the programme to make the 7th STEP cycle.

He said that the 2022 cycle is the 7th cycle of the prosperity train of the State Government, adding that the goal of the Bureau was to train, equip and support youths to acquire occupational and entrepreneurship skills for self-employment, productive enterprise and wealth creation.

According to him, “Today is an introduction to the programme. We are leaving you with a new mindset, a new world view, self-discovering, self-improvement, personal responsibility and personality development, self-discipline, self-awareness, time-management, and self-leadership among others.

“The programme is for youths who are willing, interested and available. We want to train and nurture a new generation of entrepreneurs who are well motivated, highly inspired, properly skilled and adequately enabled in order to become gainfully self-employed business owners and managers, productively engaged and creators of wealth and jobs.”

He explained that the trainees would begin hands-on training in Catering and Confectionery; Tiling and Interlocking; Hairdressing and Braiding; Audio-Visual Services; Electrical and Solar Works, and PoP, Screeding-Making and Painting on the 1st of September for four to five months.

He listed the three dimensions of job creation training as, “Personal Effectiveness and Leadership Development,” Occupational/Vocational Skills,” and “Entrepreneurship and Business Management Training.”

He charged them to uphold the job creation brand of integrity, discipline and quality, stressing that the bureau has standardized training manuals and proven monitoring mechanisms to ensure a successful training process.

He advised them to adhere strictly to the STEP Code of Conduct guidelines, warning that any misconduct would lead to the dismissal of an erring trainee from the programme.

On his part, the Executive Assistant to the Governor and the Head of the Directorate of Youth Monitoring and Mentoring, Mr. Edward Mekwunye, in his lecture, “The Role of Directorate of Youth Monitoring and Mentoring in STEP,” urged them to display the right attitude towards the training so as to realize their goals of enrolling in the programme.

Mr. Mekwunye reiterated the role of DYMM in monitoring the training centres across the state to ensure that the trainees receive quality training and that the State Government receives value for its investment in the trainees.

Some Senior Special Assistants to the Governor on Job and Wealth Creation, Barr Tony Omonemu, Prince Charles Abutoh, Mr. Emmanuel Osazuwa, Mr. Frank Ebikife, and Hon Leonard Esegbue urged them to take the training seriously in order to help the State Government realize its objective of nurturing them into great entrepreneurs and business owners.

The trainees would be exposed to topics such as, “How to Prepare your Business plan; How to Start Your Business; How to Overcome the changes of Starting-up; How to Run Your Business; How to Find and Use Money for your Business; how to Brand and Market Your Products and Services; How to Relate with Your customers; How to Use Business accounts and Records; How to Grow and Expand Your Business from Start-up; How to Partner or Relate with Other Businesses, and How to Cope with Business Problems and Challenges.

Lectures, “Making the Most of STEP Skills Learning and Self-Improvement Opportunity” and “Awakening the Entrepreneur Within You” was taken by the resource persons, Pastor Afolabi Adun and Mrs. Chinemerem Omonigho respectively.

Responding on behalf of the trainees, Uweba Oghenero enrolled in Electrical Installation and Solar Works expressed their gratitude to Governor Okowa for the opportunity given to them to enrol into the STEP programme, pledging their willingness to use the knowledge acquired to better their lives judiciously.