United Way Greater Nigeria partners, train unemployed youths on digital skills

United Way Greater Nigeria, in partnership with JASS Academy, trained about 30 unemployed youths on digital media skills to reduce the unemployment rate in the country on Saturday in Lagos.

Olayide Olumide-Odediran, Executive Director, United Way Greater Nigeria, said during the training that the initiative was to help a portion of the 34 per cent unemployed youths acquire prerequisite skills to be competitive.

“Youth unemployment is a significant issue of concern in Nigeria and this is brought about by several factors, particularly lack of relevant digital skills for the modern day business needs.

“Many young graduates though skilled in some technical areas still lack these relevant digital and related soft skills and therefore lose out on lucrative job opportunities.

“One of the core focus areas of United Way Greater Nigeria is vocational training for employability within organisations or as entrepreneurs, leading to long-term financial stability.

“This is why we have partnered with JASS Academy, WorkBox and LearnHub Africa to provide free digital training to Nigeria’s youth,” Olumide-Odediran said.

She further explained that the vocational training covered Social Media Marketing, Graphic Design and Effective communications skills.

“About 30 participants benefitted from the free digital and soft skills training, gaining knowledge on best practices to help businesses stand out and generate leads.

“Participants of the training are now on a better track to attaining their full potential and affording a decent living,” she said.

Mrs Simi Lawoyin, Founder, JASS Academy, said one of the goals of the Academy was to provide pathways to meaningful employment for young people.

“This aligns with the focus areas of United Way Greater Nigeria, which include education and skills training for employability.

“Through our collaboration with United Way Greater Nigeria, we have been able to empower young people who were previously limited in their employment options.

“With their newly acquired digital and soft skills, the beneficiaries can immediately take up entry-level jobs in SMEs or offer digital services as freelancers,” she said.

Also, Mr Afolabi Ikutiminu, Manager, WorkBox, said the organisation was always interested in working with socially responsible organisations, whose activities brought about the greater good of the community and Nigeria as a whole.

Mr Kelly Idehen, Facilitator, LearnHub Africa, said digital training aligned with the company’s mission to encourage and upscale digital literacy among youths.

“If we do not address the issue of high unemployment, it will worsen and lead to extensive social ills,” he said.

The United Way Greater Nigeria is a non-profit organisation focused on education, health and financial stability.

It is the local partner of United Way Worldwide, an organisation working in over 40 countries and 1800 communities worldwide.