Firm partners Lagos Govt, USADF to train 300 youths

A social enterprise firm, Midramo Consulting Ltd., says it has partnered with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) and United States African Development Foundation (USADF) to upskill 300 youths toward reducing unemployment rate.

Its Director, Mr Rasheed Odewunmi, made this known at the graduation ceremony of the students on Thursday in Lagos, saying that the training would improve the employability of the participants.

According to him, the training targeted people of 18 to 35 years old to enhance their entrepreneurship and skills acquisition in technology like computer studies, catering, hotel management, electrical engineering and refrigerator/air conditioner.

Odewunmi said the project comprised three months training and internship, adding that the training content was designed based on identified competency gaps.

“We believe these skills will increase participants’ incomes and promote self-reliance and market-based solutions to poverty,” he said.

The director said measures had been evolved to ensure sustainability of the programme, noting that more companies had shown interest in forging partnership with the firm.

Also, Dr Chinyere Almona, the Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), said employability skills was critical in ensuring that youths are fully equipped in meeting the challenges of an increasingly demanding labour market.

Almona was represented by Mrs Temitope Akintunde, Director, International Public Sector Department, LCCI.

“According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently released multidimensional poverty index (MPI) report, 62.9 per cent of Nigerians are multidimensionally poor, which is about 133 million people.

“This implies that they experience deprivations in more than one dimension. Young people have been particularly affected with the unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 years estimated at 53.4 per cent in 2020,” she said.

The LCCI director-general noted that globally, educational policies take full responsibility for the needs of the country in terms of manpower and skill development.

“In Nigeria, the educational system faces systemic crisis largely due to infrastructure deficit, especially at the tertiary education level, which is the vital training mechanism of Nigerian youths.

“It is also important to note that delayed payment or non-payment of teachers’ salaries negatively affected the education sector, as well as output of the sector,” she said.

Almona appealed to the government to deepen the collaboration with employers and higher institutions to further develop effective mechanisms that would address the issue of employability in the country.

Similarly, Prof. Jayeoba Ilesanmi of the Department of Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, Lagos State University, Ojo, advised the graduates to be tenacious and develop discerning skills to identify opportunities.

Ilesanmi advised the organisers to sustain the momentum of the programme through evaluation and monitoring of progress.

Also, Ms Catherine Ibrahim, the Project Officer, LSETF, said the employability programme was aimed at reducing unemployment, adding that its target was 9,000 youths.

Ibrahim said the fund would continue to support the graduates through mentoring, finance and advisory services.