After weeks of registration and vetting of the intending participants, the Enugu Youth Empowerment Scheme (e-YES) has commenced with training, mentorship and skills acquisition for youths across the state.

Organised by the Enugu State government under the auspices of the Enugu SME Centre and in partnership with Wild Fusion Digital Centre, the scheme opened doors to the first batch of participants on September 28, 2020 at Universal Hotel in Enugu.

In its first edition, the scheme, which is a novel initiative of the Enugu SME Centre, under the Enugu Human Capital Development Loan Program (HCDLP), is expected to run for seven weeks, while training and empowering over 273 participants with digital skills in areas such as: advertising, digital marketing, internet promotion, SMS marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), PPC, and analytics. Others skills in the scheme include: mobile advertising, email marketing, content marketing, among others.

The first day of the training witnessed exciting activities, especially the exposure of the participants to the opportunities in digital marketing and technology, inspirational video messages from industry experts such Hilda Kabushenga Kragha, CEO, ROAM Africa and Ayode Akinfemiwa, Google Agency Business Manager, Nigeria.

As well, Abasiama Idaresit, CEO, Wild Fusion Digital Centre, the facilitators of the training, also shared his inspiring experience with the Baby M project, a marketing campaign success story that attracted members of Google to Nigeria in 2009.

Earlier in his opening remark, the CEO of Wild Fusion Digital Centre reiterated the place of technology and digitization in career and business, noting that they are the new currencies in the world today and hence guarantee employment for the participants.

Related News

Idaresit, a digital marketing and technology expert, further explained that the training would run from September 28, till November 6, 2020, and that during the period, the participants would acquire internationally recognized certifications with Google, Facebook, Twitter, among others.

“In addition, they will be trained in all aspects of digital marketing and provided jobs upon completion of the programme”, Idaresit said.

Also speaking at the flag off ceremony, the participants expressed their gratitude to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for making the opportunity a reality in their lifetime. They also expressed their enthusiasm at becoming digital/tech savvy as the world has become digital.

“We are a generation that lives on the internet and the opportunities in here are enormous. One cannot afford to isolate oneself from this but must embrace the opportunities to connect with the world and earn a living”, one of the participants said.

Speaking at the event, Arinze Chilo-Offiah, special adviser, SME Development and head, Enugu SME Center, noted that the training is in line with the development and youth empowerment agenda of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and that the high-income skills the participants would acquire at the training would enable them to thrive in today’s digital-first world, become innovative entrepreneurs and strategic valuable assets to the state and the international community at large.

“Technology will continue to drive change in the workplace, and for one to be a game-changer, one must be able to use technology to solve everyday problems. With this initiative, the Enugu SME Centre is giving the youth an edge, starting now”, Chilo-Offiah said.