ALX Reiterates Commitment To Bridging Digital Skills Gap

ALX Nigeria, a tech training platform, has reiterated its commitment to bridging the digital skills gap in Nigeria.

This is even as it has unveiled its 2024 tech programmes ranging from Artificial Intelligence (AI) Essentials, software engineering front-end and back-end programme, data analytics, data science, Customer Relations Management (CRM) tools for Salesforce administrator to AWS Cloud Computing course, for Nigerian youths at little or no cost.

Country general manager, ALX Nigeria, Ruby Igwe who disclosed this at a press briefing, over the weekend, in Lagos, said, Nigeria, like many other African countries, is facing a shortage of digital skills.

According to a recent report by the World Bank, only 35 per cent of Nigerians have basic digital skills, which is significantly lower than the global average of 55 per cent.

This has led to a significant gap in the number of available jobs and the number of qualified professionals to fill these jobs.

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To bridging this gap, Igwe disclosed that ALX Nigeria, in partnership with MasterCard Foundation, has equipped over 120,000 Nigerian youths, with technology skills, since its inception in 2019, with the aim of training as many youths between the ages of 18 to 34 that apply for our programmes in 2024.

“We are not resting on our oars, as we have come up with tech programmes for 2024. Our 2024 programme is centred around tech, but we have also taken a step further with AI.

“What does AI mean for the Nigerian youths and how can they harness the potential of AI to grow their careers? In the spirit of wanting everyone to get on the AI wave, to be able to jump start their career, we decided to introduce the AI Essentials into our programme this year, at no cost. We currently have hubs in about 10 locations in Lagos, and we intend to open new hubs in Abuja and Port-harcourt,” Igwe stated.

Growth country manager, ALX Nigeria, Seun Babajide -Duroshola, said ALX curriculum conforms with international tech curriculum. “We take pride in it, because we want to ensure that our learners, upon completion of their programmes, are better equipped to compete with their counterparts in any part of the world and to be able to make a difference in their workplace or in their entrepreneurship journey.

“We at ALX, don’t just give you the programme, we also provide a lot of soft skills. As soon as our learners are done with their programmes, they automatically become a part of the community where we link them to job opportunities, revamp their Curriculum Vitae (CVs) and give them interview tricks, among others,” Babajide -Duroshola stated.

Meanwhile, funding and partnerships officer, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Ufuoma Emonena, disclosed that Lagos state is also partnering with ALX, to empower entrepreneurs and youths with employment opportunities in the tech space.

“We know that Lagos state is the economic heartbeat of Nigeria, and the tech industry plays a very important role in driving the growth and development of the state. With the partnership with ALX, LSETF aimed to strengthen its commitment to supporting tech innovation and entrepreneurship. We will be leveraging on ALX expertise, network and resources to provide aspiring tech entrepreneurs in Lagos state with tools, to knowledge and all that they need to succeed in their career journey and to navigate the dynamic digital landscape.

“We aim to create a pool of skilled Lagos professionals and tech enthusiasts who will contribute meaningfully to the state’s workforce in various tech related fields, thereby unlocking the full potential of Lagos state tech ecosystem and create new opportunities for growth, for prosperity and for innovation.”