The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NECA

  • NECA, Lagos Education ministry sign MoU

    The Lagos State Ministry of Education and the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) have signed an agreement on construction trade training (plumbing, concreting, tiling and carpentry.)

    The new initiative driven by NECA and Industrial Training Fund (ITF), and which will begin at the Government Technical College (GTC) Ikorodu in October, is aimed at making graduates more relevant to the demands of employment and entrepreneurship in Lagos State, according to Director-General NECA, Mr Segun Osinowo.

    The collaboration, which will be under the umbrella of the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB), will focus on upgrading facilities, provision of more equipment as well as integrating the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Entrepreneurship Development Module in the college curriculum.

    Osinowo noted that there had been a gap in skilled manpower, particularly in construction, resulting in the recruitment of quacks, which often has led to many collapsed buildings in the state.

    Also he said the situation has not helped by the procurement of skilled hands by developers and contractors from neigbouring West African countries to complete local projects.

    With the MoU however, Osinowo is optimistic Lagos State will produce an army of technical skill graduates that will upon graduation, set up construction/ building related enterprises.

    He said: The focus will be on producing these young graduates, highly skilled and supported to set up construction/building related enterprises as a way of creating employment and stemming youth restiveness.

    “We have since not been able to produce and meet the demand by construction companies for competent skilled workers. The skill deficit in these sectors is very evident with influx of foreign workers. The major challenge is therefore to produce these graduates for employment opportunity in NECA-member companies.

    Going down memory lane, Lagos State Commissioner for Education Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye said the initiative was the fallout of the first Lagos State Enterprise Day, where NECA provided its facility despite the short notice.

    She said the choice of TCI Ikorodu is because the school, like its counterpart in Epe equally has ample land enough for construction site.

    Lauding NECA for a good relationship with the Lagos state government, she stressed that the initiative was not only for the present generation, but also future.

    “What we are doing is for today, tomorrow and indeed our won; This new collaboration will galvanise entrepreneurship in Lagos State. With this initiative, a move has commenced in earnest to designate our technical colleges into specialisation.

    The projects which fully kicks off in October, according to her, is designed between 12 and 18 months in each skill trade area that will accommodate 30 candidates at a go. She said the project will be highly rigorous, with candidates being screened via written and interview.

     

    The Director LASTVEB Mr Gasper said an industry approved curriculum would be deployed for the training leading to an international certification of City and Guilds Institute in the relevant trade areas.

     

  • NECA chief canvasses policies’overhaul

    The Nigeria Employer’s Consultative Association (NECA) has urged the Federal Government and other stakeholders to embark on policy overhaul to revamping the nation’s ailing economy.

    The Director-General, NECA, Olusegun Oshinowo, lamented that lack of implementation of good economic reforms had remained the bane of economic development.

    Specifically, he attributed the challenge facing the manufacturing sector to lack of basic infrastructure, such as power and absence of enabling environment, adding that there was need for the adoption of a holistic approach to addressing the lingering power sector problems.

    The reforms, he said, should aim at engendering economic development that would target the living conditions of people and create a conductive environment for doing business in Nigeria.

    “It is about empowering people to participate and contribute constructively to the desired socio-economic objectives in a community or in a society,” he added.

     

     

     

     

  • Minimum wage decentralisation will hurt economy, warns NECA

    The Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) has warned that the decision of the Senate to decentralise the national minimum wage will affect the economy.

    NECA, the umbrella body for employers in the country, urged the Ministry of Labour and Productivity not to remain silent on the issue that affects workers across the country.

    Director-General, NECA, Mr Segun Oshinowo, said the matter ought to have been discussed on the platform of social partners before any decision on minimum wage review could be taken.

    He said the argument that setting a minimum wage by the Federal Government violated the principle of true federalism was baseless, because it should not be about duplication of roles and overlapping responsibilities.

    Oshinowo said: “The Ministry of Labour and Productivity should not be quiet on this matter as it has great implication on the economy. We believe true federalism should not be on the portal of duplicating of roles or overlapping responsibilities. So government should not duplicate regulatory responsibility over us.”

    President, NECA, Mr Richard Uche, decried the state of the economy, particularly the rising youth unemployment, warning that it is a time bomb, which if not urgently addressed may erode the social harmony and stability in the polity.

    The NECA chief said efforts by the government to create quality jobs in the country had not yielded the needed result because the government, according to him, was merely scratching the issue on the surface.

    Recently, the Senate had voted that the minimum wage be handled at the state levels.

    Arguing that the decision to remove minimum wage from the exclusive list was based on the need to protect and nurture the nation’s democracy.

     

  • NECA to open more regional offices

    All is now set for the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA)’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW) to open a regional office in Port Harcourt to train, expose and strengthen their businesses.

    Also, NNEW plans to open its new Chapter in the Southsouth Zone for regional capacity building programmes for members in the region.

    Speaking at an interactive session with reporters, the NNEW’s Publicity Secretary, Mrs. Edobong Akpabio, said the regional office would open up a continuous capacity building programmes to empower women on how to embrace entrepreneurship and prosper in business for thegood of the society.

    She said: “The regional office will empower women entrepreneurs in the region through establishing a network of women in business, which would support one another in managing their businesses professionally, profitably and compete globally.”

    “It would be geared towards building generations of successful women entrepreneurs and empower women to embrace entrepreneurship and prosper in business for the general good of the society as it will give a new face to entrepreneurship in the Region.”

    According to Akpabio, NNEW in the last seven years, has remained absolutely committed to assisting the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) believed to be the engine room for the development of any economy as the “SMEs form the bulk of business activities in a growing economy.

    “NNEW through its SMEs schemes have developed a network  that has created platform for job employment through members’ businesses, trained  Teenagers to become entrepreneurs, have a platform through its cooperative scheme to  give out loans to members to support their businesses.

    “NECA’s NNEW is a member of the task force of the CBN/ILO Financial Inclusiveness project for Women Entrepreneurs and has signed an MoU with The National Economic Reconstruction Fund, trained over 36 trainers using the ILO SIYB modules to build the managerial skills of entrepreneurs as well as trained 10 certified trainers out of which four have become certified Master Trainers,”she said.

    Akpabio stressed that SMEs being the engine for the development of any economy because they form the bulk of business activities in a growing economy, NNEW is passionate in driving this course and have several success stories .

     

     

     

  • NECA chief seeks payment of redundancy benefits

    EMPLOYERS have ben urged to pay their employees redundancy benefits to promote industrial harmony and growth.

    Speaking during the launch of Code of Conduct for Private Employment Agencies, the General-General, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Olusegun Osinowo, said the inauguration of the code would end the unwholesome practices by some employment agencies against outsourced staff.

    He regretted that the high rate unemployment has made it easier for employment agencies to exploit their outsourced staff. He said though employers have a right to determine the terms of employment for their staff, and how their businesses are to be run, the employees also have rights that have to be respected to promote a harmonious working environment in workplace.

    The Human Capital Association of Nigeria (HuCaPAN), in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other agencies, helped in formulating the code.

    Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Clement Illo, said the industrial harmony goes beyond the law, advising employers to also comply with other non-contractual elements of the employment contract to ensure there is peace in workplace.

    Representative of the European Union (EU), David Macrae, said the implementation of the code, funded by the union, would help in growing the economy and that the code would help to check unfair labour practices.

    Representative of the ILO, Pius Udo, said the code would assist in bringing lasting peace and harmony between employers and employees. He said private employment agencies need to follow international best practices that ensure that rights and privileges of staff are respected by employers.

     

  • ITF, NECA disburse N4m to trainees

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) have disbursed N4 million as grant to 38 graduates of its skills acquisition programme.

    NECA’s Director-General, Mr Segun Oshinowo, said the grant was disbursed to successful trainees who presented business plans for assessment.

    Represented by NECA’s Project Director, Mrs Helen Jemerigbe, Oshinowo charged the recipients to use the fund to boost their businesses.

    He advised governments to complement efforts of ITF and NECA in boosting the informal sector.

    “If grants are given to more purposeful people, the level of unemployment in the country will be minimised and many youths will be gainfully engaged,” she said.

    ITF’s Lagos Zonal Director, Alhaji Sule Indabawa, urged beneficiaries to make judicious use of the funds.

    “There is nowhere in Nigeria where people are given two years training on skills acquisition free.

    “Only NECA and ITF can give additional training on entrepreneurship development and also give fund as grant to start business.’’