80 beneficiaries graduate from LSETF Employability Support Project
- Trainees secure instant job placements
In continuation of its mission of up-skilling thousands of youths with employable skills, the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) under its skills acquisition scheme, the Employability Support Project, has presented a batch of 80 trainees with vocational training certifications in building and construction operations, following their successful completion of the skills acquisition programme.
Implemented in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and managed by Arc Skills Nigeria, the beneficiaries all underwent a 5 – 9 weeks intensive training carried out by experienced facilitators at the Government Technical Centre (GTC) in Lagos, to acquire industry relevant skills in plumbing, formwork, carpentry, masonry, and electrical works.
At the graduation ceremony of the trainees held at NECA House, Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday, March 6, 2019, the graduate trainees were presented with global standard certificates following their successful completion of the construction course on the Employability Support Project.
Commenting on the milestone, the LSETF representative, Ms. Abosede Alimi, Director, Strategy, Funding and Stakeholder Management , said the trainees were equipped with skills at no cost to them and were also provided stipends to encourage attendance.
She stated that the purpose of the training was to improve the quality of lives of unemployed youths by equipping them with demand-driven employable skills that would take them off the unemployed or underemployed class. These trained trainees she posits, would be able take up employment opportunities within the building and construction sector. “There are six sectors where we train students – manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, construction, garment making and entertainment. The goal is that after we have trained our applicants, they are well-equipped, better-skilled and most importantly, they are able to fit into the job market with employers getting easy access to quality skilled workers,” Ms. Mezu said.
Meanwhile, the Project Manager, Arc Skills Nigeria, Mrs. Claire Henshaw charged the trainees to be good ambassadors of the LSETF Employability Support project stressing the need for them to improve on the skills they have acquired and also take advantage of social media to advance the visibility of their craft.
In demonstration of the confidence the employers have in the programme and the trainees, three graduate trainees at the graduation ceremony namely; Ms. Bukola Felicia Ojelade; Mr. Fawibe Oluwaseun David and Mr. Alawe Olorunfemi were offered instant employment by Construction Kaiser Limited, an active employer and partner of the Employability Support Project. The company has employed no fewer than 18 participants in the past 12 months.
One of the employed trainees, Ms. Bukola Felicia Ojelade who acquired skilled training in formwork carpentry said: “This is a dream come true for me because this is a career path I have been nursing for a long time, so the LSETF training gave me to platform to actualize my dream.”.
About the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF)
LSETF was set up by the Lagos State Government in March 2016 to tackle unemployment in and promote job creation in the State. To achieve its mandate, the Fund has interventions in three core areas: entrepreneurship, skills development and innovation. These activities are targeted to every indigene irrespective of gender, religion or tribe with a commitment to ensure at least 50% of the beneficiaries are women. Our programmes include:
- i) Loan Programme: The loan programmes provides access to finance for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME), Micro- Enterprises (ME) and ME Startups (MES) beneficiaries with a maximum value of N5,000,000, N500,000 and N250,000 respectively at 5% interest rate per annum and with zero collateral
- ii) Employability Programme: The LSETF Employability Support Project in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) aims to increase the pool of skilled manpower to alleviate the acute shortages of employable labour. The project will improve the quality of labour in these sectors: Manufacturing, Health Care, Construction, Entertainment, Garment Making, and Hospitality. It is expected that through the project about 7,000 skilled manpower will be produced in 18 months to cater for demand in key sectors. It also includes promotional and access to job opportunities for individuals. The project targets unemployed and under-employed youths with or without skills and aged 18 to 35 years.
iii) Lagos Innovates Programme: Lagos Innovates is a dedicated platform that refers to a set of programs that provide support for the exciting and fast-growing startup ecosystem in Lagos State. Lagos Innovates is designed to assist founders and startups by facilitating access to high quality workspaces/infrastructure through open, merit-based, online applications processes. Programs are open to all innovation-driven enterprises that are less than three years old and based in Lagos State.
