No fewer than 70 young persons have been trained in vocational skills, namely fashion design, eco bags production and packaging.
To ensure that participants in the scheme were not hindered by lack of food and logistics to get to the training venue, they were given stipends for transportation besides breakfast and lunch throughout the duration of the programme.
While the eco bags production and packaging skill acquisition lasted two weeks, the fashion design aspect of the training lasted eight weeks.
In the same vein, the participants were given starter packs to enable them to start running their businesses on completion of the training programme which took place in Nigeria’s commercial centre, Lagos.
The vocational skills scheme was sponsored by the Federal Government through the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) which has its corporate headquarters in the Bayelsa State capital, Yenagoa.
Handlers of the scheme told Maritime Bits at the venue of the certificate presentation and handing over of starter packs to beneficiaries that the participants were trained in eco-packaging and paper bag making as well as fashion designing under a skills acquisition and youth empowerment programme sponsored by NCDMB.
Speaking at the venue of the occasion at the weekend at Eko Club, Surulere, Lagos, the Project Coordinator, Mr. Musa Razaq said the initiative is aimed at equipping young Nigerians with practical, income-generating skills that would enable them to become self-reliant and contribute towards local content development in Nigeria.
Razaq explained that the eco-packaging and paper bag making programme was a two-week intensive training that equipped no fewer than 20 participants with practical knowledge in paper bag design and production, while the fashion design component of the training ran for eight weeks with no fewer than 50 participants.
He stated that the beneficiaries were selected through community-based channels, including local publications, religious organisations, and community leaders, to ensure inclusiveness and grassroots participation.
He added that NCDMB had put structures in place to ensure post-training support and long-term impact, noting that beneficiaries would be linked to digital platforms and social media channels to showcase their products and access wider markets.
His words: “The main sponsor of this programme is the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board. The goal is to promote local content. At the end of the training, whatever the participants produced can be uploaded on designated platforms to attract patronage and business opportunities.”
He disclosed that the programme which started last year, was in its second edition, stressing that it forms part of ongoing efforts by the NCDMB to address youth unemployment through vocational skills development.
Some of the beneficiaries expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, President Bola Tinubu and the management of NCDMB for the training programme.
Describing the training as “impactful and life-changing”, the beneficiaries stated that the Tinubu administration has succeeded in equipping them with skills that removed them from the streets and the labour market.
One of the beneficiaries in the fashion designing programme, Mr. Tijani Yusuf told Maritime Bits that participants were taught both theoretical and practical aspects of sewing, including the use of different machines, fabrics and designs.
“For those of us who had no prior knowledge of sewing, we were taught from the scratch. For instance, this clothe I am wearing today was sewn by me as part of our project assignment,” he said.
Also speaking, another beneficiary, Miss Odukoya Omotoyosi said the programme had given her the confidence and skills to start her own business.
Continuing, Omotoyosi who is a graduate of Adult Education, University of Lagos said: “Within two months of the programme, I gained the knowledge of making dresses, corporate outfits and caps. Instead of looking for a job, I now have an opportunity to start my own business.”
A beneficiary of the eco-packaging programme, Mr. Akindeji Olakunle said the training exposed him to new opportunities and practical skills that would help him earn a living instead of roaming the streets looking for employment.
The beneficiaries called on the Federal Government and NCDMB to expand the programme to accommodate more youths, noting that many young Nigerians were eager to acquire vocational skills if given the opportunity.
