LASTVEB partners GE to offer training for students, teachers
Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB) has collaborated with the General Electric International Operations to equip students and teachers of the five Technical Colleges in the state in manufacturing and soft skills needed to boost their career.
The skill development partnership programme was sponsored by the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment and the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB) aimed at developing the skills of students in the state in advanced manufacturing.
The programme involves 20 final year students and five instructors from the five Government Technical Colleges in the state taking part in an intensive one-week training that will hone their skills in advanced manufacturing as students will be exposed to cutting-edge technology, experiencing GE’s Digital Industrial leadership in shaping modern manufacturing. They will also learn how such readily available technology can help their future businesses
Speaking on the development, the Director, Communications & Public Affairs, GE Africa, Patricia Obozuwa, said the initiative was aimed at promoting advanced manufacturing and technology in the modern work environment by extending the GE Lagos Garage entrepreneurship programme through LASTVEB to its colleges.
In this vein, she said a condensed version of the current GE Garage curriculum will expose the technical college students to latest developments in advanced manufacturing, taking into consideration the student’s vocational studies exposure and their area of specialization, to ensure proper focus and impact.
Obozuwa restated GE’s commitment to empowering people through technology, pointing out that this was the very reason behind the GE Garage initiative.
“We are committed to supporting skills development in Nigeria, and across Africa. We see ourselves as partners in building a sustainable future for Africa, and we believe that partnerships such as this are necessary if we are to overcome Africa’s economic challenges,” she said
Executive Secretary of LASTVEB, Mrs. Omolara Erogbogbo, expressed the belief that programmes such as this will go a long way in bridging the unemployment gap as well as addressing skills deficit in the country.
She highlighted the importance of vocational education to Nigeria’s socio-economic well-being, saying that the era when vocational education was believed to be undertaken by school drop-outs and pushovers was over.
Speaking in the same vein, Lagos State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, commended GE Nigeria for their efforts in transferring such important skills to Lagosians.
He said the collaborative initiative is in line with the ministry’s mission to promote and sustain entrepreneurship and employment through effective use of wealth creation strategies and resources by collaborating with all stakeholders.
According to him, the ministry was established in fulfillment of the promise of Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, to address the unemployment crisis in the state, adding that in pursuit of this mandate to create employment, the ministry came up with similar initiatives like the “Graduate Internship Programme,” a 3-month paid Internship Scheme for graduates who have been unemployed for a minimum of one year after National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The Programme is designed to give candidates an opportunity to develop employability skills which are often vital in securing employment.
Esther Taiwo
