The Nation Newspaper

Tag: training

  • Training opens new vista for fresh graduates

    Training opens new vista for fresh graduates

    Tommorrow, fresh graduates from various backgrounds would graduate from a three-month ICT programme tagged Lagos Study Programme and sponsored by the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment.

    They are the pilot beneficiaries of the project which seeks to equip them with skills to fill the manpower gap for programmers locally.

    The initiative was done in collaboration with Andela Consulting, Google, Microsoft, Sterling Bank and Etisalat, and implemented by Audax Solutions Ltd, which carried out the training at its lekki office for the first batch of 100 trainees selected from the Lagos Island division of the state.

    The participants, who had reduced to about 78 by week six, were exposed to design, HTML and CSS, digital marketing, coding, basic algorithm, scripting, word press, and dynamic web application projects, among others.

    Project Manager, Vivian Ezinne Ubochi, said the trainees were a mixture of those without prior knowledge of programming and those with a level of awareness of the concept.

    She said the training was carried out using world class curriculum that allowed students to learn at their own pace and make progress as they completed assigned projects.

    She praised the tenacity and dedication of the participants, who she said exceeded her expectations.

    “They come every day from 9-5pm.  I did not expect them to be this serious.  They come early and when it is 5pm they don’t want to go.  Lagos has really achieved with this programme.  If this continues, it will really help the state develop,” she said.

    Ubochi also said high-performing students would get a chance to intern in firms that are impressed with their work at a job fair that would feature as part of their graduation from the programme.

    Some participants told The Nation the programme was a life-changing one for them as it provided new direction for varied careers.  They also appreciated the transparent selection process which did not favour ethnitism or connections but an interest in ICT, place of residence, and time of graduation.

    Wofai Ibiang, a Supply Chain Management graduate from East Anglia University, United Kingdom, said she applied for the programme to learn to build apps to solve problems she has already identified and expressed satisfaction with what she got from the training.

    “I’ve always wanted to build my own website and apps.  I have learnt quite a lot coming here.  I’ll say I have been very impressed; my expectations have been met.  I think the skills I have gained will help me know how to go about my dreams,” she said.

    Frank Uchendu, a Computer Technology graduate of Babcock University, said the programme built on the basics he learnt in school.

    “I have got to learn a lot more than what we did in school because it is hands on.  It is a self-paced programme so you read, and practicalise.  It is about using your own means to find solutions to problems you are given to solve.  For you to move to the next challenge, you have to finish the particular task at hand,” he said.

    For Sociology graduate, Tinuola Olowoyeye, the programme gave her opportunity to strengthen her foray into IT, which was fueled by a short work-experience as a marketer in an IT firm.

    “I felt I could do more.  The experience has been lovely.  Before now, when I picked my computer, it was just for Facebook, Twitter, Google search.  But now I can build a website; I can use HTML, CSS, Java Script.

    “After the programme, if I have all the facilities I need, I want to work on my own, no need to look for job,” she said.

     

  • AFRIFF TRAINING GETS A BOOST WITH CANON …as festival begins this weekend

    SUPPORTING Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF)’s developmental initiative for young African filmmakers, Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA) is partnering the former for this year’s edition of the festival which begins tomorrow.

    As part of the week-long event whose activities are spread across the Filmhouse-IMAX, Genesis Cinema and Silverbird Cinema, Victoria Island and AfriNolly Space, Oregun, Lagos, CCNA is offering further support skills and capacity development among creative and talented youth and professionals in Nigeria on film and photography.

    “We aim to familiarise Nigerian filmmakers and photographers, and the attendees to the festival with cutting-edge professional technology that is used internationally,” said Katie Simmonds, Canon’s Strategic Operations Professional – Emerging Markets Africa/Sustainability Projects.

    She said Canon is always committed to launching new innovative programmes that help provide the knowledge and skills needed to promote creative talent and drive the growth of a vibrant local industry.

    “Our partnership with AFRIFF, Nigeria, underlines our focus on supporting the nation in building the next generation of talent who will drive the growth of the country’s television, film and photography sectors. It will empower youth, build their skills, and help facilitate rewarding careers in the industry.”

    So far, about 50 would-be trainees, made up of film students, practitioners and the media have registered for the cinematography class.

    Simmonds said the Canon sessions will provide the perfect opportunity for aspiring filmmakers to benefit from short courses and seminars in videography and filmmaking.

    The collaboration marks an extension of Canon’s sustainability for its Miraisha programme.

    Simmonds explains that, “Miraisha is a combination of the Japanese word ‘Mirai’, which means Future and the Swahili word ‘Maisha’, which means Livelihood. The programme’s goal is to provide people with the skills to develop livelihoods in professional photography and filmmaking, or print by utilising Canon’s core expertise in imaging and its network of professionals.”

    The initiatives range from fashion and street photography classes to filmmaking workshops and print training for SMEs.

    During this collaboration, Canon will be conducting a filmmaking workshop and a filmmaking seminar led by an expert in the field and look forward to rolling out more activities in near future.

    Simmonds disclosed that the association has been inspired by ‘Kyosei’, Canon’s corporate philosophy which embodies the ideal of living and working together for the common good.

    She said: “AFRIFF is a noted film festival that presents a complete immersion into the world of film making with participation from local and international industry bodies, which over the years has fostered film and television education. Canon is proud to partner with such an organisation and would like to thank the management for their continued support as we move forward, we will continue to build on the positive relationships that we share and take it to the next level through our new solutions.”

    CCNA is a division within Canon Middle East FZ LLC (CME), a subsidiary of Canon Europe. The formation of CCNA within CME in 2015 is a strategic step that aims to enhance Canon’s business within the Africa region – by strengthening Canon’s in-country presence and focus. CCNA also demonstrates Canon’s commitment to operate closer to its customers and meeting their demands in the rapidly evolving African market. Canon has been represented in the Africa continent for more than 15 years through distributors and partners that have successfully built a solid customer base in the region.

  • Ministers need constant training, retraining

    The Senior Pastor of First Love Assembly Port-Harcourt, Pastor Simeon Afolabi, has stressed the need for proper training, moulding and retraining of gospel ministers.

    He also made a case for stricter regulation of gospel preachers to stem the tide of abuses and erosion of biblical values among Christians.

    Afolabi stated these in a chat with reporters last week in Lagos ahead of a ministers’ conference/restoration seminar organised by Revival Promotion Partners, an interdenominational group of eminent Christians across the nation.

    The conference is billed for November 19 at The Jevinik Place, 21 Isaac John Street, GRA, Ikeja with the theme “walking in glory.”

    Lamenting the grave anomalies among ministers, Afolabi attributed it largely to lack of proper training and close monitoring.

    “The easiest thing to do these days is to start a church. Once you can speak well, you can open shop and start a church.

    “Most of the people in ministry these days are either not called or have derailed from the calling.

    “Those who derailed are mainly due to improper training. Training is important for proper grounding and equipment,” he explained.

    Afolabi said it was regrettable that the entry point for ministers remains unregulated and porous.

    According to him, nobody becomes a doctor without at least seven-year of rigorous training and constant evaluation.

    “But in the ministry, it is an all-comers affair. Nobody checks up on your beliefs, doctrines and practices.

    “Everyone wants to do his own thing, claiming to have heard directly from God,” he regretted.

    He said if doctors that deal with bodies go through such rigour before practice, then pastors who handle souls that never die should be subjected to more scrutiny.

    Afolabi called for an independent, interdenominational body to regulate the activities of ministers and churches.

    This, he said, will checkmate sharp practices and serve as caution to ministerial abuses.

    The conference, he said, will consider what ministers need to do to remain relevant and focused on the things of the kingdom.

  • Dickson reiterates need for regular training in public service

    Dickson reiterates need for regular training in public service

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has reiterated the need for regular training and retraining in the public service to reinvigorate and strengthen the service in the state.

    He spoke when he declared open a three-day retreat/seminar for Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Chief Executives of parastatals and agencies of the government at the Public Service Training Institute, Yenagoa yesterday.

    The seminar was organised by the Office of the Head of Service in collaboration with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Badagry, Lagos.

    Represented by Chief John Jonah, his Deputy, Dickson advised public servants to be apolitical while discharging their duties and focus on delivering efficient and quality service.

    The governor also stressed the need for accountability and transparency in the management of public funds given the current financial situation.

    Dickson lauded the robust partnership between the state government and ASCON, which provided the resource persons for the programme.

    He noted that ASCON had been involved in the conduct of promotion examinations for top civil servants in the state.

    Earlier, the Head of Service, Dr Peter Singabele, said that the retreat was packaged to improve the performance of top civil servants in the service.

    Singabele urged the participants to take full advantage of the retreat by improving on their skills and knowledge.

    In a lecture titled. “Bayelsa State, its Land and People and Antecedents”, Dr Stephen Olali, Chief Historian/Archivist of the state, noted that history is the study of man, through the evidence of his past actions.

    According to him, every action of man borders on history and took time to trace the evolution of the people of Bayelsa State and indeed, the Ijaw nation.

  • Dickson stresses regular training

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has reiterated the need for training and retraining in the public service, to reinvigorate and strengthen it.

    He spoke yesterday at the opening of a three-day retreat/seminar for permanent secretaries, directors and chief executives of parastatals and agencies at the Public Service Training Institute, Yenagoa.

    It was organised by the Office of the Head of Service in collaboration with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Badagry, Lagos.

    Represented by Chief John Jonah, his deputy, Dickson advised public servants to be apolitical while discharging their duties and focus on delivering efficient and quality service.

    The governor stressed the need for accountability and transparency in the management of public funds.

    He hailed the robust partnership between the government and ASCON, which provided the resource persons for the programme.

    Dickson noted that ASCON was involved in the conduct of promotion examinations for top civil servants.

    The Head of Service, Dr. Peter Singabele, said the retreat was organised to improve the performance of top civil servants.

    He urged participants to take advantage of the retreat by improving their skills and knowledge.

    In a lecture, titled: ‘Bayelsa State, its Land and People and Antecedents’, Dr. Stephen Olali, the state’s chief historian/archivist, said history was the study of man, through the evidence of his past actions.

    According to him, every action of man bordered on history.

    Olali traced the evolution of the people of Bayelsa State and the Ijaw nation.

  • Shooting Stars stay away from training

    Shooting Stars stay away from training

    Shooting Stars have said they will continue their pay strike today until their various demands are met by the management.

    ‘The Oluyole Warriors’ are owed five months’ pay and 10 match bonuses and they insist they should be paid a lump sum before they will return to training ahead of their next match against relegation-threatened Warri Wolves.

    “The players will continue with their pay strike today,” a source disclosed.

    “They have now demanded that they be paid at least a million Naira each before they will consider calling off this strike.

    “They also wish to see the contracts they have with Shooting Stars.”

    The work-to-rule started Tuesday evening when the players stayed away from training, leaving the coaches to later also leave the training ground.

    Shooting Stars are 14th on the table with 44 points from 33 matches.

  • Lagos tackles ‘one chance’ with training of bus conductors

    •Bus conductors to get uniform soon

    The Lagos State Ministry of Transportation and the Lagos State Drivers’ Institute (LASDRI) have stepped up the fight against bus robbers popularly known as ‘one chance’ with a training and identification programme for bus conductors in the city.

    LASDRI Chief Executive Officer Mr Philip Ogunlade said the training would ensure bus conductors are able to identify the vehicle used by the criminals.

    He said: “This is the first time conductors will have the opportunity to be trained formally in an academic environment and they will be presented a certificate to have undergone the training. It is just for us to be able to identify who they are, the vehicle they work with and have their data captured to invariably curb the danger of one chance through proper identification of their commercial buses and their conductors.”

    Ogunlade enjoined the bus conductors to be civil in discharging their duties, adding that their job is as important as any other profession.

    He said: ”We believe there is no profession that is not important. We are meant to complement each other. Your job as a bus conductor is a profession you have to protect jealously. Therefore, you also have a role to play in the society. With this training, we will teach you how to relate with passengers, motorists and your drivers. We know all these will be possible through interactive trainings like this.

    “We have noticed that drivers rely on the directives given to them by the conductors which are most times wrong. It leads to all sorts of acts of indiscipline on the road and it is not right. Accidents are caused by the negligence of some conductors. We equally want to educate you on how to become better people in the society. “Conductors will later become drivers in future, so with this development, it will enable you to become better drivers with experience.”

    Association of Bus Conductors (ABC) National President Comrade Israel Adeshola, said the training is a new dawn for bus conductors.

    According to him, it will add value to the transportation sector in the state.

    He said:  “We are planning to unveil our uniforms soon. Conductors will be dressed in corporate uniforms too like other profession.”

    It will enable conductors to relate well with passengers, drivers and the public. They will be able to provide any crime information when they sense it because identification is key. With proper identification, conductors will know who is who.

     

  • ‘Graduands’ home training continues’

    The premises of the Command Secondary School, Ipaja, Lagos, wore a cheerful look during its valedictory service held at the school pavilion.

    The Commandant of the school, Col M. Kadai, said the graduands should be celebrated because they made it through their determination even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

    The school pavilion venue of the event, was decorated with blue and a touch of gold, with graduads looking resplendent in black blazer suit, white shirt and a red tie to match. The girls styled their hair beautifully and the boys had nice haircuts. Their teachers and parents were not left out of the paparazzi. They were decked in their best attires.

    Col. Kadai urged parents to continue to counsel and not leave their wards  as this could make them vulnerable to outside influences.

    The guest speaker, Mrs Ngozi Onyemekara told graduands to be conscious of the decisions they make, as it will be recorded as part of their story in future.

    “Life is like a book and it can only be interesting if we read it in chapters. Your life in this school is getting to a close and you are about to open a new chapter. Be cautious of how you open this next chapter, because you are moving to experience new set of situations in life,” she warned.

    Father of the day, Ambrose Uduechi, urged graduands to remember their alma mater, embrace hard work and move closer to God in their quest for greatness.

    “Wait on the Lord to achieve great heights. Have accurate vision like the eagle, which flies directly towards the sun. Eat what is right. The eagle will never stoop so low as to eat dead meat. So reduce your consumption of junk food. Don’t dwell on your past success, rather, aim to achieve greater ones and never forget who you are. You are an eagle, not a chicken,” He said.

    The mother of the day, Haijia Hindatu Yauri gave tips on making a successful journey out of life.

    “Everything we have taught you, keep them, especially self-control and patience,” Yauri said.

    She added: “Life is a journey, so run with these values. Have a goal and a vision so that you would not be sidelined by bad company. Keep to your pillars of character as taught by Command Secondary School.”

    The event, anchored by special guest of honour, Maj Gen Isadore Edet, also featured presentations of awards and the launch the school magazine Comlag Star.

     

  • ‘Training youths to fight extremism’

    MicroDevelopment Consulting Limited (MDCL) has embarked on a campaign to train stakeholders to contain violent extremism in the North.

    The stakeholders, comprising youths from communities in Borno, Yobe, Kano, Kaduna and Plateau states, are to undertake the Positive Voices Campaign Project (PVCP).

    Chief Executive Officer of  MDCL Furera Jumara said the PVCP would train individuals to serve as role models and mentors to youths through Community Engagement Initiatives (CEI’s).

    She noted that there has been an increase in bigotry, intolerance and violent activities among youths because there are hardly people to act as a positive influence.

    Jumara spoke in Abuja at the launch of the PVCP’s Community Engagement Initiative (CEI).

    Her words: “Today is the launch of the positive voice campaign project, CEI. The project is managed by MicroDevelopment Consulting Limited, funded by NSRP (Nigerian Stability and Reconciliation Programme), which is a DIFID (Department for International Development) programme.

    “Over the years, there has been a noticeable increase in bigotry, intolerance and violent activities among youths. We believe one contributing factor is the lack of positive influences and role models for youths.

    “The PVCP is therefore influenced by the counter-terrorism programme of the Office of the National Security Advisor and is funded by British Council’s NSRP. It is about increasing the resilience of youths to negative influences through the identification and training of individuals from selected states across the country’’.

    “These individuals would serve as role models and mentors to youths in their communities through Community Engagement Initiatives that they would embark upon. The project intends to continuously send out positive narratives that promotes tolerance, national identity and civic nationalism through these individuals as well as, we hope that it shows the youth that they can achieve a lot without violence.

    “The programme is training groups of youths across five states, we send them out to develop mini projects that they can do for their communities that will embed positive messages in terms of tolerance, peace and issues of countering violent extremism, we call them positive voices basically they are role models.

    “After awhile, these pilot scheme that we start with five states is going to be rolled across Nigeria after eighteen months.”

    Programme Manager NSRP, Dr Ukoha Ukiwu added, “The selection procedure was very rigorous, many of them where selected through nomination and recommendation from their communities, they are already persons known in their communities and influential, they are not being taken from outside and imposed on the communities. They have been equipped with engagement strategies that will be able to communicate the objectives of their projects. We believe that the different initiatives that each of them will be carrying out are things that their communities will find interesting and useful, we hope that if it is successful, we will be able to publish the results and encourage other actors both within and outside Nigeria to see this as a model to adopt in terms of peace building.”

     

     

  • Oando begins training of 500 mechanics

    Oando begins training of 500 mechanics

    Oando Marketing has commenced the 2016 edition of its Oleum Academy Initiative with the induction of 500 mechanics. The initiative is meant to bridge the gap between the number of professional mechanics and the requisite skills needed in the Nigerian auto-mechanic industry.

    Launched in 2014, the Oleum academy was designed to support the alternative learning and skills development project, an initiative of the African Development Bank which provides high quality vocational training and mirrors the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for poverty reduction and the development strategy in the country.

    Selected participants were shortlisted through nominations on online media platforms and by recognized mechanic associations; Nigerian Automobile Technician Association (NATA), and Motor Mechanic and Technician Association of Nigerian (MOMTAN).

    This year’s edition of the initiative will offer 500 mechanics a three-month programme of diverse learning mediums including in-class instruction on subjects comprising auto diagnosis, electromotive and workshop management. Facilitation is done in partnership with Automedics, a renowned automotive mechatronics outfit that specializes in automobile training and education, vehicle diagnosis, maintenance and sales of spare parts. Successful trainees are awarded a certificate in Automotive Mechatronics Training upon completion of the programme.

    Speaking on the initiative, the Chief Executive Officer of Oando Marketing Limited, Yomi Awobokun said: “Oleum Academy is aimed at improving the expertise level of Nigerian auto-mechanics and ensuring the skill acquisition rate is up to par with the evolution in the auto industry.

    We expect this project to contribute to the Nigerian economy by creating more opportunities for the mechanics and car owners. We remain committed to the goal to train 5000 mechanics by the year 2020.

    “The Oleum Academy initiative is positioned to address several issues. To begin with, car technology is constantly evolving and vehicle features are becoming more advanced than ever. As a result, vehicles can prove either interesting or difficult to work on depending on the mechanic’s level of training.