Over 180 Nigerian youths have benefitted from Nestlé Nigeria’s 18-month intensive Technical Training Programme, since its inception in 2011, with 95 per cent of them directly employed by Nestlé Nigeria and five per cent employed by other multinationals.
The training programme was designed to bridge the technical skills gap by equipping young people with the skills to contribute to the industrial acceleration needed to drive economic development in Nigeria.
Since its inception, the programme has equipped participants with machining, mechanical fitting operations, electrical operations, instrumentation operations and automation skills, preparing them for the prestigious London City and Guilds technical certification.
The MD/CEO, Nestlé Nigeria, Mr Wassim Elhusseini, at the celebration of the 3rd batch of graduation ceremony, said, Nestlé’s focus areas is to contribute to the efforts to help young people develop the capabilities and skills they needed to participate in growing our economy.
He added that, the technical training programme prepares youth to access economic opportunities either through employment or the creation of their own enterprise with the acquired skills.
“This is important in view of the statistics showing that over 13.9 million youths are either unemployed, in unstable employment or underemployed. I am very happy to announce to you today, that all graduates of this batch have been employed by Nestlé Nigeria!
“So, you see, this initiative is not only good for the individuals who participate and for their families and communities, but also good for our company; a Win-Win-Win! We are indeed creating shared value,” Elhusseini averred.
The minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, said, the ministry was delighted and proud to see vibrant youth who have gone through the 18-month training process to obtain the City and Guilds certification.
Dare, who was represented by the assistant director, Enterprise Development and Promotion Department of the Ministry, Mr Hamid Nagogo, commended Nestlé for this laudable initiative on youth empowerment, trusting that the company will continue to partner government to provide more opportunities for skills development to support the acquisition of decent jobs by young people across the country.
On his part, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Mr. Muhammed Bello, who was represented by the director, Human Resources Management, ministry of FCT, Mallam Muhammed Bashir, said, technical knowledge and other hands-on skills are essential tools required for the growth and development of any nation.
Meanwhile, Iyamu Precious is one of the 20 beneficiaries who were awarded certificates of completion of Nestlé Nigeria’s technical training programme at the Abaji Technical Training Center. He made his family and friends proud as the best graduating student of Batch 3, achieving 31 distinctions and one merit, in the 32 courses he took in the City and Guilds examinations.
