The Anambra State Association of Town Unions (ASATU) said it has concluded a plan for grassroots mobilization towards the Apprenticeship Scheme initiated by the Awka Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (AWKACCIMA).
The National President of ASATU, Titus Akpudo, lauded AWKACCIMA for the initiative, observing that Ndigbo fared better with the introduction of such a scheme in the past.
Akpudo pointed out that the Apprenticeship Scheme has an existing catchment area among the unskilled, untrained and uneducated youths roaming the streets, hinting that 98 per cent of trainees and apprentices in markets and shops are sales girls.
He notified the town union leaders to ensure that an office is opened where interested youths can register for proper documentation.
The President General of Ekwulumili lauded the scheme and called for religious adherence to obligations by sponsors of the trainees.
In his remarks, the President General of Awkuzu Development Union, Chief Innocent Chialu, noted that the Apprenticeship Scheme is a laudable one, stressing that Harvard University in the United States of America has adopted it in its educational curriculum.
He observed that the scheme is founded on a philosophy of ‘Be your brother’s keeper,’ for which Ndigbo are known for, debunking the insinuation that Igbo people do not love themselves, calling for proper mapping, documentation and identification of both the sponsors and beneficiaries.
Also speaking, the President General of Urum Development Union, Alloysius Tabansi, called on communities to work out vocational arrangements to make the programme succeed, lamenting the penchant of some masters failing to settle their wards after an agreed period of tutelage on flimsy excuses.
Tabansi advised that, in view of the high workload of ASATU, there is a need to involve both the ministries of Youths and Education, advising the organizers to open for registration.
©Osiberoha Osibe,