The Nation Newspaper

Tag: technical skills

  • Easy way to acquire technical skills, secure requisite jobs

    Easy way to acquire technical skills, secure requisite jobs

    By Olaoluwa Salami

    There is no doubt that various ways abound to acquire technical skills and secure good jobs. However, one of the most effective and efficient ways has been championed by PulseLabs.

    A recent study has it that over the past decade, there has been an explosion of startups in Lagos, Nigeria.

    It is on record that financial technology services-focused startups raised nearly $122 million in 2019 alone.

    The development has led to a high demand for institutions or companies to train young people to acquire these skills, creating a huge demand for tech talent in Nigeria.

    Web development is one of the skills with great demand in Nigeria, with the steady growth of the technology sector in Nigeria over the years.

    Consequently, to get these jobs, young people need to empower themselves with the relevant skills, and experience to access these job openings.

    PulseLabs is a creative digital initiative in Nigeria focusing on bridging the gap by providing a platform to enable young people to acquire the skills needed to excel in the technology sector.

    As an innovator, the idea for this initiative came up during my NYSC year while discussing it with a friend. The discussion centered around experiencing firsthand the digital illiteracy, and how graduates dont have the necessary skills to compete in today’s digital world.

    PulseLabs has courses in areas like Cloud Engineering, Web development and UI/UX. Learning anywhere is made easy with Puselabs. The mission is to make learning accessible for everyone, anywhere.

    The courses are recorded and available online, allowing students to learn at their own pace by watching the course videos. There are stand-up sessions and weekly meetings to track progress and address any questions. Students can ask questions through our discord channel.

    This initiative is available to the general public at no cost, with participants only required to demonstrate a strong willingness to learn and possess the necessary time and resources.

    Furthering the desire of many young people who find it very difficult to secure white-collar jobs, this initiative will provide them with the opportunity to learn the skills for a job in the tech sector.

    Millions of graduates are today roaming the streets aimlessly in search of what to do amid a challenging economy, and skill acquisition may be their next stopover.

    It is imperative too to create the necessary awareness among parents that children can be encouraged to acquire other skills while still pursuing their academic careers.

    And in this era of digital marketing, being technically savvy will cut the current gap in employment opportunities across the country. This remains our focus.

  • ITF, NECA train 3,000 youths in technical skills

    Three thousand youths are being trained under the Technical Skills Development Project (TSDP) of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), ITF Director-General Joseph Ari has said.

    The training is holding in 18 industrial centres nationwide.

    Ari said the TSDP was one of the initiatives by both organisations create jobs.

    “Its primary objective is to reduce unemployment, promote sustainable wealth creation and give the youths entrepreneurial and attitudinal proficiency through technical skills acquisition,” Ari stated.

    He said the participants would be trained in 18 trades and crafts, including electrical/electronic maintenance, mechanical machinery and maintenance.

    According to him, they would also be trained in welding, fabrication, plumbing/pipe fittings maintenance, beverage bottle operation and information and communications technology.

    Ari listed others as building construction, carpentry and joinery, agriculture and agro-allied, animal husbandry, aqua culture, breeding and hatchery, livestock and aqua culture feeds, as well as fashion designing.

    ITF and NECA, he said, expected the participating organisations to equip the trainees with competitive skills to enable them get jobs after the programme.

  • Introduce technical skills to schools, council chief urges govt

    Executive Secretary, Ojodu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Mallam Ahmed Jaji, has urged the government to  put the teaching of technical skills in the primary and secondary schools curricula.

    If done, he is optimistic pupils would consolidate on it after leaving school to become self employed.

    Jaji spoke at a briefing on this year’s Spelling Bee competition held at  the council last week.

    He said: “We need to re-orientate our curriculum because most of our children are being turned out to the street without any necessary skill. I remember during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s military regime, he sent some Nigerians to Eastern European countries to be trained as engineers, pharmacists, among others.

    “We should de-emphasise paper qualification and focus more on what our children can use their hands to do; our government should re-orientate their curriculum by infusing into our children technical skills that will make them independent and job creators.  Jaji said the benefits of the competition were immeasurable because the pupils gained a lot from it and the competitive spirit would continue to be in them.

    He said the competition was to bring out the best among pupils to represent the council at the state level.

    He urged participants to continue to wax stronger, assuring them that the Lagos governor-elect, Akinwumi Ambode, would continue where the Governor Fashola stopped.

    “As far as I am concerned, we might look at the Spelling Bee competition as inconsequential but the totality of its benefits, nobody can measure it. Not until our party leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu stated some facts, I never knew that the first One Day Governor was sponsored to Switzerland to learn some useful skills and those after him were given same opportunity.

    “You are the future of the nation. We want to leave a sound legacy for you. The picture is now clear because we now have a new dawn in Nigeria which you will all benefit from. I can assure you that with the kind of team that will be put in place, it will be a continuation of excellence in Lagos by the new government. I want you to know failure is not a curse but to re-double your effort in achieving your goal and when you fail you don’t give up,” he said.

    In her address, wife of the Executive Secretary, Mrs Ibironke Jaji, said the competition would promote unity among contestants, schools and identify career prospects in the pupils.

    Ten schools competed for the secondary category and six schools for the primary.

    Ayantayo Toluwani from Ojodu Primary (School 1) emerged winner in the primary category, while Fabian Freedom from Ojodu Primary (School 3) and Ngejeme Chiamaka of Ogba Primary School were first and second runners up.

    In the secondary school cadre, Abdulliadi Faaiz of Omole Senior Grammar defeated Ajayi Ayodeji of Babs Fafunwa Millenium Grammar School and Bello Ibraheem of Omole Senior Grammar School, who emerged second and third.

    Faaiz told The Nation: “I know and believe I am going there to win and to other contestants, they should always prepare hard and better.”

    Toluwani thanked his teachers, urging others to be consistent in what they do.  The winners were later presented with certificates and gifts.

  • NCC: Technical skills needed to sustain growth

    NCC: Technical skills needed to sustain growth

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said there is need to intensify efforts at building the specialised skills set needed in the telecoms sector if the gains of the telecoms revolution are to be sustained.

    Its Head Policy and Research, Dr. Henry Nkemadu, said the telecom revolution in the country which has resulted in the unparalleled growth from 400,000   lines to 139 million connected lines needed to continue to grow.

    He said for this to happen, there was need to grow the specialised skill sets to sustain and drive more growth and development in the sector.

    He spoke during the donation of 87 information communication technology (ICT) books to Bayero University, Kano (BUK).

    He explained that the aim of the project, which is part of NCC’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) to spread digital dividends to tertiary institutions across the country, is to develop local capacity that will contribute to the ICT sector and boost the national economy.

    NCC Board Commissioner, Alhaji Mohammed Bintube, who led the Commission’s delegation to BUK to donate the books, said the ICT book donation is part of the project of the Commission to fill the dearth of educational materials within the ICT sector in the country.

    BUK Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed expressed gratitude to the NCC for the donation and encouraged it to further partner with the university in its efforts to expand ICT training programmes within the institution.

    He said the NCC is one of the institutions that show legitimacy and honor in the ICT sector, adding that the book donation by the Commission to the school is worth millions of naira and is one of the best the university has received so far.

    The books will adorn the university’s ICT Centre named T.Y Danjuma ICT Centre which consists of a post-graduate school, Departments of Information Technology (IT), Software Engineering and Computer Science. The gesture from the NCC is spread across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

    In a statement, NCC Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo quoted Bintube as saying:   “Commission is honored and privileged to be present at one of the citadels of learning in Nigeria. We appreciate the efforts made in ICT within the university.”

  • Acquire basic technical skills, women urged

    Acquire basic technical skills, women urged

    The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW) has urged women in business to acquire technical skills to enable them to compete with their male counterparts.

    The President of the association, Mrs Lola Okanlawon, gave this advice at its Sixth Annual General Meeting in Lagos.

    The theme of the meeting was Taking your business from start-up to multinational

    “Women wish to become established entrepreneurs, but have to work hard for it.

    “There is the need to imbibe some basic skills that would move your business to the next level.

    “Most women do not take time to read and to excel in business. You have to be versatile. You need to be computer literate, get knowledge on the stock market, customer care and so on.”

    She said the association has so far trained more than 400 women in basic entrepreneurial skills within the last one year.

    Also speaking at the event, Mrs Florence Seriki, the Chief Executive Officer, Omatek Ltd, urged women to create a balance between business and family.

    “When I was breast-feeding, I took my baby as far as Asia for business meetings.

    “As an upcoming entrepreneur, don’t expect to become great overnight. It takes a gradual process to build a multinational company.”

    Seriki expressed optimism that women could take over most Nigerian businesses by 2017.

    No fewer than 1,000 business women were at the event, where products such as smoked fish, handbags, and computer software packages were exhibited.