Foundation trains 600 youths on skills acquisition in Kogi

The Founder and Executive Director of LMF, Mrs Rosemary Osikoya, said the foundation had trained over 600 youths on skill acquisition, most of whom were vulnerable in society within the past five years.

She made this known on Monday at the graduation ceremony of the Young Entrepreneurs’ Club (YECLUB) pilot Public School Co-Curricular TVET Project Abuja, sponsored by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Ladi Memorial Foundation (LMF), through its Chateko Vocational Institute (CVI).

According to her, the NGO is aimed at empowering youth and women to be self-reliant and provide them with a platform to acquire life-changing carrier coaching and mentoring.

“From the past five years, the NGO has been in existence, we have been rendering vocational services to both in and out-of-school students at various levels.

“We have so far trained about 600 youth, most of them vulnerable in the society.  We are helping them to access livelihood equipment and to give them hope,” she said.

Osikoya explained that 54 students in public school and dropouts were enrolled for the pilot public school co~curricular TVET Project, which was flagged off on July 8, 2021; while the club meetings commenced on July 26, 2021.

She said the trade skills taught were basic garment making for men, women and children; bag making, catering craft Practice: baking and confectionaries, and food preparation.

She added that the foundation provided the training free including consumables, equipment, learning tools, textbooks among others, and was supported by generous individuals and organizations, which was acknowledged by the Schools’ TVET Champions 2021 Awards.

Osikoya stressed that most of those trained by the NGO were school drop-outs but were reintroduced to school, adding that, their self-esteem had increased.

“For this programme, we registered 54 people who went through our training for a period of six months. I am happy to announce to you that we are graduating 32 youths today.

“Skill helps to build and develop their personal capacity, which is the whole idea of the training.

”A total of 35 candidates were enrolled for NABTEB modular trade exams December 2021 in both JSS/GSS Pyakasa, Abuja, and out of school youths/women in Lokoja.

”The NABTEB modular trade Exams that were taken include; Baking and confectionaries, Food preparation, Pattern drafting, and Garment construction & finishing,” she said.

The executive director described the programme as a huge success considering the number of youths that it had helped to take off the street.

She, therefore urged educational institutions at various levels to adopt modules in skills acquisition, so as to equip students with skills that move them away from unemployment after school.

Our Correspondent reports that other partners’ groups and individuals at the event also pledged their various commitments to support the co-curricular TVET project.

Also speaking at the occasion,  President Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr Babagana Mohammed, urged professionals to focus more attention on promoting the culture of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) by encouraging mentorship, coaching and entrepreneurship in people of school age.

The NSE President, who was the Chairman of the occasion, commended the LMF for focusing on technical vocational education training and the NABTEB skills certification to assist the students.

He stressed the need for increased attention to coaching, mentorship by professionals, emphasising that TVET remained the key to solving many challenges facing the country as well as ensuring economic growth.

The NSE President applauded the initiative by the foundation and donated the sum of N1 million to support the co-curricular TVET project; and promised to increase his support for the youth especially those of school age.

Also speaking, the Director-General, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Dr Mansur Liman, who was also one of the awardees commended the LMF for the initiative and pledged his support for the foundation.

On her part, the Registrar and Chief Executive of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), Prof. Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe, restated the commitment of the board to excellence in its core mandate of providing qualified entrepreneurial skills for national development.

The Registrar commended the foundation for its commitment to the Co-curricular TVET project and promised to sponsor some students to write the NABTEB examination.

The Vice-Chairman LMF Board of Trustees, Engr Kashim Ali, described the project as the turning point, and a noble and promising beginning for the young beneficiaries saying it would mark a positive turn in their journey in life.

Ali, who was a former COREN President, said the LMF remained committed to contributing positively to national development through quality human capacity development in the strategic areas of focus.

According to him, LMF is focusing on functional, practical skills for survival, livelihood improvements, entrepreneurship and employment which remains the bedrock of every national productivity, economic growth and personal fulfilment.

“Today’s event which brings us together presents a humble initiative to encourage TVET culture and strengthen the integration of TVET certification in the formal education.

“t is a commendable feat bringing together various categories of stakeholders, forges linkages of cooperation and presents a new platform for focused partnership collaboration, mentorship and coaching everyone can buy into”, he said.

Ali expressed hope that the LMF Young Entrepreneurs’ Club (YEClub) Project experience and lessons learnt shared both today and afterwards, would provide beneficial insight to education policymakers, administrators and other stakeholders.

Mr Yusuf Alli, the Managing Editor, Northern Operations of The Nation Newspaper, a Facilitator of the programme, commended the founder for the initiative, adding that, it would divert the attention of youths from societal ills.

“I came here to give my own support as a facilitator but when I saw the initiative, I was encouraged.”

The creativity, innovation and skills’ mastery demonstrated by students were judged by VIPs at the event, and the best talents were rewarded with various prizes depending on their skills’ categories.

The winners of the Garment making craft student-preneurs category: The first position- Favour Ifeanyi Chisom SS2 (female); Second position- Israeli Oloyede SS3 (male); and Third position & most improved student~preneur, Abubakar Akilu Hassan SS1 (male) of GSS Pyakasa, all got a Sewing machine each.

The winners of the Catering craft prizes in the studentpreneurs category: First position- Peace Daniel JSS3; Second position- Precious Noah Yahaya SS3; and Third position- Rachael Tojuola SS2, all-female students of GSS Pyakasa.

The first (Peace Daniel), second (Precious Yahaya) and third (Rachael Tojuola) positions, received Gas cooker; Kenwood cake mixer;  and a complete set of cooking pots respectively.

Some of the graduands, who spoke with our Correspondent, thanked the NGO and its partners for the privilege and promised to make good use of the opportunity.

The LMF Special partnership recognition Award of Schools TVET Champions 2021 was presented to persons who had made various contributions in cash and kind to support the project.

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Foundation trains 600 youths on skills acquisition in Kogi