The Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC), bottlers of Coca-Cola products, has launched an initiative ‘Youth Empowered’ to imbue young people with skills to make them employable.
At the launch last Thursday at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island Lagos, students were told they would learn project management, time management, business planning, negotiation skills and others during both face-to-face and online training workshops.
The three-day face-to-face workshops in Lagos (October 17-19), Port Harcourt (November 8-10) and Kano (November 15-17) would also expose the 18-30 year old participants to financial literacy, sales skills, communication, networking and interaction, and personal development.
Managing Director, NBC Limited, George Polymenakos, said the initiative was inspired by the need to support government to tackle unemployment by bridging skill gaps noticeable in modern day graduates.
“NBC acknowledges the Nigerian youth as the leaders of tomorrow and is happy to empower and position them for the huge leadership task ahead of them. We are proud to be identified with the Nigerian youth and will continue to invest in them to make positive contributions to the development of their communities and Nigeria at large,” he said.
Ultimately, he said the company hopes to train 100,000 young men and women.
He said “By 2020, we project to support through training and mentorship, over 100,000 young unemployed people between the ages of 18 and 30 to acquire invaluable life skills, business skills and long-lasting networks that can assure their transition to meaningful employment.
“These skills enhancement training program focuses on two broad modules, Life Skills and Business Skills. The Life Skills Training Workshop is designed to help the youth discover themselves, understand their strengths and developmental opportunities, as well as providing a platform for meaningful interaction with business leaders and mentors.”
Legal, Public Affairs and Communications Director, Sade Morgan, said by the time they are done with the training and mentoring programme, the participants would be a delight to employers.
“The participating youths would have firsthand experience that would serve as a launch pad to start on the right foot, with guidance from professionals and experienced business mentors,” she said.
In her speech, Founder, Rise Network, Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji praised the firm for the initiative, urging other companies to fund similar programmes instead of reality shows.
She urged the firm to include technical and vocational skills training in the programme.
NBC Youth Empowered is part of the one Coca-Cola Hellenic project designed to support over 500,000 young unemployed people between the ages of 18-30 by 2020, to build life and business skills and long-lasting networks that would translate to meaningful employment and self-sufficiency. NBC and its parent company, Coca-Cola Hellenic have established themselves as a reference point for world class youth development and empowerment initiatives.