We've spent over N6bn to train youths in technical skills

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As part of its contributions to meeting technical skills needs in the country, Nestle Nigeria Plc has spent over N6 billion to train no fewer than 198 young men and women in various technical skills in the last 13 years.

The company carried out the training programme in partnership with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), and up to 97 per cent of those trained were offered permanent employment by the company.

The Managing Director of Nestle Nigeria Plc, Mr Wassim El-Husseini, gave this hint on Wednesday at a graduation ceremony of the new set of youths trained by the company’s Technical Training Centre (NTTC), located in Agbara, Ogun State.

The new graduates, who are products of Nigerian polytechnics and studied various engineering courses, were 10 in all, bringing the total number of youths trained under the 13-year-old scheme this year alone to 30.

The managing director declared that the training programme, which lasted 18 months and was rigorous and intensive, combined with theoretical and practical work, culminated in the City and Guilds of London Technicians’ Certification, thereby enhancing their employability.

According to him, Nestle Nigeria believes in the potential of the younger generation, hence sharpening their technical skills and knowledge to make them fit in well for the 21st-century world of work and contribute meaningfully to their families, communities, and society at large.

El-Husseini pointed out that the company does not limit its youth empowerment efforts to NTTC, as it also offers internship and youth capacity development programmes to students in schools and fresh graduates undergoing the national youth service scheme to enable them to gain industry experience and become not only employable but also employers of labour.

He said the company had been able to reach more than 16,000 young men and women through various initiatives that are making them competitive in their various fields.

He promised that the company would continue to support youths in the country to thrive in any way it could, congratulating all the graduates and their parents on the achievement.

He asked the graduates to always remember they were offered employment based on their outstanding performance while in class and on the fields and therefore expected to add significant value to the company and the economy at large.

He urged them to stay focused, curious and embrace lifelong learning so as to easily surmount challenges that may surface on their journeys to the top.

In their separate remarks at the event, the Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Abayomi Arigbabu, was represented by the Director of the state’s school sports, Mr Rotimi Okeleye, as well as the Director-General of NECA. Mr. Adewale Oyerinde, who was represented by the Director Head
Legal, Regulatory & Taxation Department, Mr. Thompson Akpabio, commended Nestle Nigeria for the intervention, describing the effort as a huge support.

They congratulated the new graduating class, urging them to continue to seek knowledge, embrace innovation, stay curious and never lose sight of their goals and aspirations for life.

Prof. Arigbabu promised that the state government would continue to welcome and support initiatives that promote education, skills development, and youth empowerment in the state, saying that is the easy way to bring genuine development to the country.

Earlier in their separate speeches, the Country Human Resources Manager, Nestle Nigeria, Mr Shakiru Lawal, and the outgoing factory manager, Agbara, Mr Ipinmoye Ibikun-Olu, shared insight into the training programme, saying it is open and free but selection is very competitive and training is rigorous.

They said the trainees had been able to meet the recruitment standards of the company, which is why they were offered permanent employment, while advising them to continue to improve themselves and remain consistent in moving forward.

Giving testimony about the programme, Messers Moshood Kilaso, an alumnus of the centre, and Bibire Ezekiel, one of the fresh graduates, respectively, said aside from sharpening their skills and knowledge, the programme also exposed them to teamwork and the spirit of possibility.

They declared that the centre is not only parading world-class instructors but is also equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment and a well-stocked library, underscoring the quality of training they received.

They thanked Nestle Nigeria for investing in them and also offering them employment, promising to surpass their expectations.

The high point of the event is the distribution of their certificates of excellence.

Aside from their parents and some community leaders, including the Alagbara of Agbara Kingdom, Oba Lukman Agunbiade; the incoming factory manager of Nestle, Mr. Talla Fall; the factory human resources manager, Mrs. Olawunmi Adelanwa; and the corporate affairs manager, Mrs. Toju Egbebi, a new set of students from the centre graced the occasion.

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