NYSC holds Corps certification workshop in Kaduna
(DG of NYSC, Brig-Gen S Z Kazaure addressing newsmen shortly after he declared the workshop open at Hotel Seventeen, Kaduna on Tuesday. With him is a Senior Staff of the Scheme, Nasamu Hilary)
//Godwin Ekosin, Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria//
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has organized a three-day training workshop for its certification officers to improve their technological knowhow especially now that everything in the scheme is being computerized.
The Number one Corps member, Brigadier – General Suleiman Zakari Kazaure who declared the workshop open in Kaduna yesterday hinted that the scheme is now fully computerized in order not to be left behind in the fast moving global technological train.
The NYSC Director-General said, Corps Certification Department Workshop held at Hotel Seventeen, Kaduna became necessary owing to the fact that everything is now automated as people can register from Australia, United States of America etc at a push of a button, get their documentation done and the process of certification begins.
“The training workshop is very important because it is the one of the currencies of public service. What NYSC has packaged here is training of certification officers who are responsible for the ultimate item of the corps members and that is the certificate. NYSC has become fully computerized. Everything is now automated.
“Another thing is that, employers can now go online and verify the NYSC certificate presented by an ex corps member to know whether the person seeking employment in your organization is fake or real base on this important item he or she may have submitted”, he said.
Commenting on the significance of the workshop for just a department he said, “the certification department handles important documents critical to the operations of the scheme including production, issuance and verification of certificates of National service, exemption and letters of exclusion as prescribed by the NYSC.
“Over the years, management has identified poor handling of these documents by schedule officers which sometimes, subject especially ex-corps members to unnecessary hardships which include mistakes in the writing/printing of names in the certificates, lack of due diligence in the issuance of the certificates, poor sorting arrangement and slow verification process among others.
“The above challenges therefore make it necessary for management to organize this workshop to equip schedule officers with requisite knowledge and skills to enhance their efficiency”, he stated.
Earlier, Director, Corps Certification Department, Alhaji Aliyu Laura while speaking on the theme of the workshop which is “Effective Certification Management in NYSC, Using ICT Platform” said, besides the certificate of National Service and Exception Certificates, letter of exclusion can be generated and issued online.
According to him, “it is gratifying to note that virtually all our certification processes have been computerized and automated. This development has not only reduced the work pressure on the department but also removed the bottlenecks in the documentation procedures”.