Follow Us on Google
In commemoration of World Youth Skills Day, Apapa Local Government Area of Lagos State, will train 50 youths in tyre upcycling craft and decorative painting.
Chairman of the council, Idowu Senbanjo, while speaking at the event held at the council hall, said this year’s theme: “Skilling teachers, trainers and Youth for a transformative future” targets the youths more specifically because young age is the easiest time of our lives to master new skills. “This event had its bearing in 2014 when the United Nation General Assembly declared 15th of July as World Youth Skills Day to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. This has been a yearly event since then advocating for a better future for our youths through empowering them with skills,” she said
Senbanjo said normal education is key, as it is a foundation for success, and acquiring skills.
“You don’t have to wait till you get a bank job because you read Banking and Finance, there are one thousand and one people who have made it doing things different from what they studied in school. We are in a technologically advanced age where things are done differently from the way they were done in the primitive age, acquiring simple skills like website designing, programming, coding, printing, graphics, video editing and photography, shoes and bag making and all sort of environmental aesthetics adornment craft will bring a headway if pursued with passion and diligence. This is in sync with part of this administration’s drive where we yearly train and graduate young people with various skills. In June this year, we graduated and empowered over 200 youths from the council’s skill acquisition centre, as a way of empowering people to empower others,” she said.
She thanked Showcase Interiors Limited who have agreed to take all the beneficiaries of the program on internship at their Tyre Upcycling and painting workshop at Apapa to further sharpen the skills acquired
Special Adviser on Education, Youth and Sports to the council, Dr Mike Egbayelo said the need for skills development among young people cannot be overemphasised, as he called on government at all levels to take skill acquisition of the youths very important.
“In Apapa we have set out a robust programme of job creation through circular economy and green entrepreneurship that will see our youths acquiring skills in tyre Upcycling, green energy and Digital Technology to ensure that we reduce youth unemployment and promote environmental sustainability,” said.
Seminar presentations on ‘Getting it right: Career perspectives’ and ‘Living a life of Purpose ‘ were delivered by CEO of Worden Toluwase Olaniyan and CEO, Mary May Growth Innovation, Mary Makinde Respectively.
