By Uche Bibilari/Jacinta Nwachukwu
No fewer than 50 youths have commenced a six-month fashion design and garment-making training under the World Bank-backed IDEAS-TVET programme in Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The training is being conducted by Everest Heights Ltd., an accredited skills training centre, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education.
IDEAS-TVET means Innovation, Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills. It is a World Bank-supported Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
reports TVET equips people with practical, job-related technical and vocational skills that can help them secure employment, start businesses or improve their livelihoods.
Speaking at the event, Dr Olubukola Dosunmu, Co-Founder, Everest Heights Ltd., said the IDEAS-TVET was designed to equip unemployed and disadvantaged Nigerians with skills for self-reliance.
Dosunmu said Everest Heights applied after the call for proposals, underwent inspection and accreditation, and was subsequently selected as an approved training centre.
She said the centre recruited 50 beneficiaries from Gwagwalada at grassroots level, in collaboration with the Saba Foundation and other community-based organisations.
According to her, the six-month training covers sewing, mindset development, entrepreneurship, mentorship and internship, to prepare beneficiaries for sustainable livelihoods beyond graduation.
Dosunmu said the training was achievable for committed participants, who were expected to attend classes three to four days weekly, for at least five hours daily.
She said trainees who initially struggled with fabric cutting were already demonstrating improvement, adding that the programme went beyond sewing to developing entrepreneurial and business sustainability skills.
The co-founder disclosed that Everest Heights was engaging stakeholders to provide post-training support, including tailoring machines, grants, internships and other start-up assistance for beneficiaries.
She said the centre also offered training in electrical installation, solar installation, home-appliance maintenance, headgear and accessories making, hospitality, catering, digital marketing and social media communication.
Dosunmu urged the beneficiaries to take the opportunity seriously, noting that the Federal Government provides free training and N30,000 monthly transport stipends, and advised them to think beyond the six-month programme.
The wife of the Chairman, Gwagwalada Area Council, Hajiya Yinka Mohammed, said her office would use the programme to empower more women, particularly vulnerable groups.
Mohammed said her office had previously implemented interventions aimed at improving women’s lives and described the training as an opportunity for beneficiaries to become economically independent.
“At the end of the day, there will be skills in the brain and there will be cash to start a life,” she said.
She urged youths and women to shun laziness and take advantage of available opportunities, stressing that beneficiaries should not take the training for granted.
Also speaking, the wife of Aguma of Gwagwalada, Hajiya Fatimah Muhammad, said the traditional institution had supported women and youth empowerment for about 40 years.
Muhammad said empowering women and youths remained a priority of the traditional institution, adding that the palace was committed to ensuring women were not left behind.
She disclosed that the palace facilitated the inclusion of beneficiaries in the current training cohort, describing the initiative as consistent with its longstanding support for women and youths.
Muhammad, who is also Founder of Saba Foundation for Women and Orphans, said empowerment should continue beyond graduation through support that would help beneficiaries sustain their skills.
She said her foundation, in collaboration with the palace, would support graduates with starter packs to establish businesses and build on their newly acquired skills.
Prof. Adeniran Lateef, Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship Development and Students’ Mentorship, Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, urged trainees to embrace innovation in fashion design to increase their earnings.
He said the Federal Government had introduced entrepreneurship skills acquisition for undergraduates, adding that his centre trained 1,005 students in the previous year.
Lateef commended the proprietor of Everest Heights Ltd. for sustaining her vision and collaborating with relevant stakeholders, urging the trainees to take the programme seriously (NAN)
Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi
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