The Ladi Memorial Foundation (LMF), an NGO, has called on educational institutions at various levels to adopt modules in skills acquisition, so as to equip students with skills that would move them away from unemployment after school.
Its founder, Mrs. Rosemary Osikoya, made the call while fielding questions from journalists at the graduation ceremony of 34 youths trained on skills acquisition which held in Pyakasa, Lugbe, Abuja.
According to her, about 600 youth had been trained on skills acquisition in the past five years, to make them self reliant and empowered to cater for their needs.
“The NGO is aimed at empowering youth and women to be self-reliant and provide them with a platform to acquire life-changing carrier coaching and mentoring.
“From the past five years, the NGO has been in existence, we have been rendering vocational services to both in and out-of-school students at various levels.
“We have so far trained about 600 youth, most of them vulnerable in the society. We are helping them to access livelihood equipment and to give them hope,” she said.
She explained that 54 students in public school were enrolled for the pilot public school curricular TVET Project which was flagged off on July 8, 2021, adding that each of them was taught skills that could enable them start businesses.
“Trade skills taught were basic garment making for men, women and children; bag making, catering craft Practice: baking and confectionaries, food preparation; facilitated free to beneficiaries, supported by generous individuals and organizations, acknowledge by the “Schools TVET,” she said.
“Total of 35 were enrolled for NABTEB modular trade exams December 2021 in both JSS/GSS Pyakasa and out of school youths/women in Lokoja; NABTEB modular trade exams taken were baking and confectionaries, food preparation, pattern drafting garment construction and finishing.
“We registered 54 people who went through our training for a period of six months. A lot of them sat down on the sewing machine for the first time in July but today, they can make clothes for themselves and others,” she added.
She maintained that the success of the training shows that if given longer time such as three years of junior or senior secondary schools, there would be people with real skills at the end of their formal education.
Earlier, a facilitator of the programme, who is also the Managing Editor Northern Operations of The Nation Newspapers, Yusuf Alli, lauded the initiative, adding that it would take the attention of the youths from societal ills.
