Education
THE Lagos State Government on Wednesday graduated 4,952 students from 19 Skills Acquisition Centres across the state.
Speaking at the Graduation Ceremony of Year 2022 Batch of the Skill Acquisition Programmes, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the skills acquisition programme was initiated to alleviate poverty.
Sanwo-Olu said the programme was initiated to create self-employment among active women, men and youths, who would then join other entrepreneurs to contribute to the economic growth of the state.
He congratulated the graduates on the successful completion of the programmes, for embracing the opportunities provided by the government to add value to themselves, so as to achieve economic and financial independence.
According to him, the programme is very important to the government, because it offers a viable option for young people in particular, to discover their innate potentials to be gainfully engaged and economically relevant.
”There is no gainsaying that small businesses are the backbone of any economy, contributing to economic development and prosperity in many ways, chief among which is job creation, providing employment opportunities for millions of people.
”Hence, encouraging vocational/skills acquisition is a veritable option to be considered, especially as a pragmatic approach to alleviating poverty and promoting women and youth empowerment for financial sustainability.
”This is why this administration has continued to invest in this programmes, believing firmly that our citizens and women especially are powerful agents of change, in view of the important roles they play as home builders.
”Women Empowerment has been on our front burner and is top priority for this administration, because we have identified the attendant challenges of poverty among women and youths.
”We realised that these challenges can only be surmounted through empowerment projects and programmes such as the one we are witnessing today,” he said.
The governor said that his administration would not renege on its commitment to continue investing in skills acquisition/women empowerment/ entrepreneurship programmes.
He said the government would help them access soft loans to start up their small scale businesses, especially through the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, which within a period of four years, had supported over 12,710 MSMEs to access over N8.4 billion.
Sanwo-Olu urged the graduating students to make good use of the opportunity that the programme had opened up to them.
”I urge you to work hard to build your brand and carve a place for yourselves within the industry.
”The tools you will be empowered with today are meant to support your smooth take off and overcome some of the challenges startups usually face in their early months and years,” he said.
Also speaking, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, advised the graduates to sought counsel on ways to grow businesses.
Hamzat also encouraged the graduates to give priority to good news, and not bad news or information flowing round.
”Listen to positive information, your priority should be news that can help you grow your business.
”You are now in a better position to be employers of labour; we will keep track of you, we want to see some of you employ two, three people by next year.
”The LSETF is there for you, they don’t only give grants but they can also teach you how to keep records of your business, how to run things, ways to encourage your members of staff,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Mrs Cecilia Dada, the Commissioner of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, thanked the governor and the deputy for their support and unwavering contributions towards the various programmes put in place for the empowerment of youths, women and men in Lagos State.
Dada said the state government recognised the immense potential and talent that young women and trainees possessed, and it was government’s duty to unleash these potential for the development of the society.
She said a total number of 6,252 graduated from the 19 skills acquisition centres in year 2019; 3,262 students in year 2020; while 3,986 students in year 2021.
”Today’s ceremony marks the beginning of a new phase of life for the trainees, who have meritoriously completed their trainings, which duration ranges from 6 to 12 months . Please note that all these trainings are tuition- free.
”We have established 19 skills acquisition training centres across five divisions of Lagos State. Each of the centres has no fewer than 20 vocations being taught, free of Charge,” the commissioner said.
Some of the skills taught included hairdressing and cosmetology; catering & hotel management; computer training, textile designing; hats making, beads stringing, and barbing,
Others are printing technology; shoe making and leatherworks; furniture and woodwork; welding; block/tile laying; adult literacy; aluminum fabrication; fashion design/dress making and photography, amongs others. (NAN)
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November 22, 2023 @ 7:00 GMT|
Tags: Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu
