Youth
CHIBUZO Okoye, a youth advocate, has urged parents, guardians, traditional rulers, communities and religious leaders to reinvigorate the apprenticeship system among Igbo people.
He made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Enugwu-Ukwu community, Njikoka Local Government Area (LGA), Anambra.
Okoye, a civil engineer, said that apprenticeship is a renowned informal business education that has proven to be a vital tool in wealth creation and poverty eradication among Igbo people.
“The reinvigoration of the apprenticeship scheme is apt now, considering the high number of unemployed youths who are now `corporate beggar’ or engaged in crimes.
“If it is reintroduced and youths are encouraged to learn skills, the knowledge garnered will serve them for life with or without any formal education.
“Skills acquisition has capacity to make the learner wealthier than most individuals parading certificates who cannot have any economic values if not employed,” he told NAN.
He said the system involves a comprehensive transfer of knowledge and wealth from the master to the apprentice over a specified period.
Okoye said that the apprenticeship period typically ranges from four to six years during which the apprentice learns essential skills.
These, he said, include marketing and customer retention, business negotiation, site selection, stock management and business management and expansion.
He said although the methods may vary depending on the master, the apprentice also learns from other experienced individuals.
“It is rare to find someone who has gone through apprenticeship scheme to be a failure in business.
“Instead the system perpetuates growth as settled apprentices are encouraged to take accept their own apprentices once they are stable.
Okoye said though the apprenticeship scheme is an excellent economic model it faces challenges.
Some of the challenges, according to him, are the perception that it is only for those who cannot afford formal education and the masters’ inability to raise capital to settle the apprentice when his time was due.
Okoye said that these challenges, if addressed, could revitalise the system, thereby making it to regain its place as a tool for wealth creation and poverty eradication. (NAN)
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-May 21, 2024 @ 17:04 GMT|
Tags: Mr Chibuzo Okoye
