In its four – year plan to educate 50 000 Nigerian young people in the technical skills in construction and the agricultural industries, the German Society for International Cooperation (DGIS) and the Nigeria social undertaking Field of Skills and Dreams (FSD) have graduated their first group of technicians.
On Tuesday the project manager, Tobias Wolfgarten, said the whole project would cost approximately € 20 million.
“Field of Skills and Dreams is our first partner in this project and today we have three hundred graduates.”
Mr. Wolfgarten said GIZ would partner with other training institutions across the country to educate more young people in construction and agricultural technical skills.
“We are currently training people in Ogun State while I’m talking and intend to go to Edo and Kaduna, where the project’s agricultural aspect will be significant,” he said.
“We are currently developing more project partners, and some of them will take courses that will run for a year for individuals that are able to spend their time and it will take more time than the shorter courses.
“The Dangote Academy among other institutes of formation throughout the country is part of the training institutes we plan to partner with.”
“We plan to use this to empower and develop the practical skills of Nigerian young people that will enable them to improve their economic contribution.”
Some participants gave their testimonies about how the training shaped their lives.
One of the graduands, known as Alfa, said before he was introduced to training he was a commercial tricycle driver.
“I was empty in all respects when I came for this training,” he said.
“I actually borrowed the pen to write down my name, but I leave here today full of substance.
“When I rented my apartment in Alagbado about five years ago and my wife bought a cooker, the electrician simply tapped wire from a joint box and there was always a constant electrical fire in our building, not until I came to the electrical circuit did I realize that the connection was totally wrong and dangerous and it was only God’s grace that my family did not die from the outbreak.”
Another participant said he had not only been able to re – wire his apartment properly since he started the free course for the three months, but had since obtained a contract to wire a whole building.
One of the participants, who said he’s a spare parts dealer, said he used to give out the parts installation contract and the training helped him expand his business to include the installation that he’s doing himself.
The Institute, which began as a social initiative in 2003 before being officially registered in 2005, has trained over 10,000 Nigerians in technical skills in the different cities across the nation, said Omowale Ogunrinde, the Executive Director of the FSD Training Institute.
‘ We were in Ibadan just last week to facilitate a United Nations program, and we are doing this for each one’s sponsors, ‘ said Ms Ogunrinde.
“It’s about where the next sponsor wants us to train and we’re moving facilitators to train people.
“We have students from this Institute who do great in companies such as Boulos, Mantrac, Dangote, Coca – cola and many others, and we also do a great deal to them in their very own practice.
“We not only train people with technical skills, but we also train people with soft skills that they usually need to survive. In addition to the training they received, many of them have been trained and certified by Google Digital Skills.”