Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has unveiled plans to inaugurate a State Inter- Labour Committee, to complement the vision and effort of the ARISE Youth Employment Portal.
He noted that the State Inter-Labour committee will ensure that all companies operating in the state engage indigenous human resources as well as exhibit transparent employment practices.
The Governor announced this during the launching of the Arise Youth Employment Portal at Ibom Hotel And Golf Resort , Uyo.
He stated that the Employment Portal was to fulfil the promise made when he signed a charter with Akwa Ibom youths months back while also providing jobs in line with the United Nations sustainable Development Goals (SDG), on poverty reduction.
He described the portal as a-one- stop site in employment matters, acknowledging that youths of the state are versatile in various skills which must be tapped for proper engagement and urged both the civil service and private sector to explore the portal to its maximum advantage by showcasing employment opportunities for the youths.
“One of the major themes I campaigned on was the urgency in providing gainful employment opportunities for our teeming youths.
This is in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on poverty reduction.
“At the Appreciation/Engagement Rally I held about a month ago to honour our youths, I had, while unveiling my Charter with the Youths of Akwa Ibom State, stated that we would set up an Employment portal to harvest employment opportunities for them.
“I had also promised a number of empowerment schemes to appreciate the youths for freely following our leadership and for refusing to participate in the protest planned at that time.
“Today, I am pleased and happy to launch that employment Portal: The Arise Youth Employment Portal, where job opportunities will be segmented according to skill set,” he stated.
Governor Eno explained that the 200 Health /Safety monitors, 3000 personnel for Ibom Watch and other empowerment programmes like the Youths Business Support, ARISE Entrepreneurial Support, Bursary Educational Grants, will be coordinated through the portal.
He thanked the SSA on ICT, Dr Frank Ekpenyong and his team for being painstaking in interpreting the vision of the employment portal which has enabled it to see the light of the day and urged all to embrace the initiative.
Speaking on the operation of the portal, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on ICT, Dr Frank Ekpenyong, said that the portal is designed to open up the labour market and ensure that indigenes of the state are given unfettered access to employment opportunities.
Dr Frank pointed out that the portal will enable the state government identify the skill, expertise and capabilities of it citizenry in the unemployed community and ensure that they are engaged meaningfully.
He added that Civil Service recruitment will be prioritized even as funding and training support will be handled with ease begining with the 5000 youths who will get N50,000 monthly for a year.
Earlier, The Head of Civil Service , Elder Effiong Essien, described the portal as a watershed in the State recruitment process, saying that qualified indigenes of the state will be given a window of opportunity to be recruited into the civil service using advanced technology.
He stated that with the employment portal, the civil service is now well positioned to attract the best brains during its recruitment exercise and thanked the Governor for providing this open process to employment into the service .
On his part, the CEO Hensek Integrated Services, Engr. Uwem Okoko, who represented the private sector, commended the Governor for the launch of the employment portal, describing it as a lofty innovation having come at the peak of the construction season when more hands would be needed to deliver their jobs.
He said that the private sector has engaged more than fifteen thousand youths, adding that the portal has solved the problem of scouting for skilled and unskilled labour for the construction companies.
Highpoint of the occasion was the unveiling of the portal by Governor Umo Eno who was assisted by his Deputy, Senator Akon Eyakenyi.
