THE Lafarge Africa Plc, has concluded arrangement to further empower indigenes of communities where it is operating. The beneficiaries are 15 youths from Ogun, Gombe and Cross River states who have been enrolled in the maiden Cement Professional Technician Programme, CPTP.

The programme involves the training of youths in the cement manufacturing process. The three-year all-expense-paid residential programme includes training in mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and automation technology, cement manufacturing process and entrepreneurship.

The selected youths will receive practical and theoretical training at Lafarge Africa’s state-of-art centres and plants in Ashaka, Ewekoro, Mfamosing (Calabar) and Sagamu. Participants who successfully complete the training will be offered automatic employment within Lafarge Africa.

Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, director, communications, public affairs and sustainable development, Lafarge Africa, at the launch of the programme at Ewekoro, Ogun State, said the initiative will increase the local content of Lafarge’s operations in the country and also bridge the skills gap in the cement industry.

She explained that the programme is in partnership with the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, Industrial Training Fund, ITF, and the National Consultative Assembly, NECA, the certificate awarded after the programme is accredited by National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, and is valid for admission into any Nigerian university.

Ambrose-Medebem noted that the cement professionals training programme is a Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, initiative hinged on the firm’s five pillars of health, safety, education, infrastructure as well as clean environment.

—  Jul 03, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT