After eight months of intensive training and monitoring, about 100 youths who are beneficiaries of an empowerment and vocational training scheme tagged ‘Empowerment for the Future’ scheme, a programme of the Youth Empowerment Foundation, last week graduated in three cities of Ibadan, Abuja and Lagos after successfully learning trades like digital marketing, catering and decoration services, fashion design services, photography, A/C repairs, hair dressing, phone and laptops repairs at various learning centres.
The graduation in Ibadan spanned days and had programmes that included training on money management, entrepreneurial development and marketing skills while on the finale, the trainees demonstrated what they had learnt and how the scheme had benefitted them.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony in Ibadan, Bukola Favour Akingbohungbe, the programme officer at the Ibadan office of the Youth Empowerment Foundation, said the empowerment for the future is in its seventh season, having started over six years ago in three cities; Abuja, Lagos and Ibadan, to encourage youths to be self employed and be useful to themselves, even after their school certificate and be self sufficient instead of just lazing around, not doing things that would be useful to themselves, their family or to their larger society.
“With all these trainings and exposure and placing them in places to learn skills where we pay for their skills acquisition, monitor them on a monthly basis to know their welfare, to ensure that even their coaches are teaching them well and not just sending them on errands. We make sure that they focus on why we paid them to be there so that they can work, be employers of labor and reward creators first for themselves. Because the moment you’re able to help yourself, at least you are alleviating poverty first from yourself, to your family and to the society at large,” she said.
On how selection of beneficiaries is done, she said, “we look into the communities and we ensure that those selected are people that really need it and will appreciate it, not just people that will learn and do nothing with the skill. So we have people we work with, then we post it online for people to apply. When they apply, they come for interview, then we select. We hope that as time goes on, they will be able to come back to showcase how far they have gone.”
Also speaking, Simeon Akintoye, the founder of Simeon Technology, a company that deals with software development, app development, digital marketing and cyber consultancy, who is one of the trainers, said his role is to “train the applicants on how to run an effective digital marketing and develop a responsive and engaging software or website. So that was what I’ve been able to teach the applicants. Normally, digital marketing is a very broad course, so we specialise in email marketing and Facebook adverts. So it takes nothing less than three to four weeks to effectively learn the mastery of Facebook advertisements and digital marketing. So that’s it.”
And on whether he can vouch that those he trained are already on the path of financial independence, he said “Definitely. At some point, ne of the trainees got an offer, but she said she doesn’t want to work for someone; that she wants to start her personal digital marketing agency because she sees the revenue as too small compared to what she has been getting on her own while undergoing training. I will advise that they keep learning because learning is continuous.”
One of the beneficiaries, Glory, who learnt digital photography, said she came across the scheme through a friend that had been a beneficiary, adding that “she did software development and she’s doing very well. She was the one that told me about it and I followed up. This scheme has helped me a great deal because I have always desired to learn photography professionally, but then I could not afford to pay at the time, so it came in at the very right time and thankfully, I’ve been able to learn a lot. Photography is not what you finish learning, actually, but I have come to a reasonable level with taking shots and editing.
“I think it is very good platform helping the youth. There are a lot of people outside that really want to do something with their lives but can’t afford it, maybe because of the home they come from. This scheme can help them become something in life. And it’s very commendable,” she added.
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