MindTheGap Foundation, a leading social enterprise incubator, has collaborated with the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development to equip the youths with essential digital skills to access job opportunities.
The Founder of the foundation, Mr Tayo Olosunde, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Friday, said the its transformative programme also called ‘On-The-Job Internship AND Apprenticeship Programme’ to youths.
Olosunde said the programme, supported by Google.org, was aimed to equip the ‘Youth Not in Education, Employment, or Training (YNEET) in Lagos with essential digital skills to access job opportunities or start their own businesses.
He added that the programme would also support Micro Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country for economic growth.
“Through the pilot scheme, the programme will provide participants with training in various digital fields, including digital business management, social media management, and
many more.
“It’s no news that Nigeria is on an aggressive economic reset that requires every hands-on-deck to create value by producing goods or services at every level – no matter how little.
“Amidst the complexities of addressing issues like exchange rates, food prices, and security concerns, there exists pockets of wins that every Nigerian needs and can be achieved through the deployment of available skills and resources.
“To unlock skills development opportunities and boost employability for Youth Not in Education, Employment, or Training (YNEET), the transformative programme was needed to support the youths,” he said.
He added that the pilot scheme was set to conduct a series of hybrid training sessions involving physical classes and virtual lessons on digital marketing.
“Upon completion of the training, learners would receive a downloadable certificate of accomplishment and move on to the internship phase where they would be assigned to businesses to help them set up and manage their online presence.”
Olosunde said that equipping youths with digital skills was not just about employability but empowering them to become active economic agents thereby contributing to the overall development of the state.
“The launch of the On-The-Job digital training pilot scheme marks a significant step towards creating a digitally inclusive Lagos State.
“MindTheGap envisions
a future where the beneficiaries of this initiative become active economic agents, contributing to the economy through the value they offer with their skills,” he said.
He added that the training was also extended to other states in the country such as the FCT, Abia, Anambra, Benue, Akwa-lbom, Gombe, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Oyo, and Rivers states.
According to him, intending participants can visit the Skills Sprint platform (skillsprint.ng) to
register for the OnTheJob programme.
Also speaking, Mr Olukosi
Julius, the Deputy Director, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, said that youths were fortunate to have
access to tools that could enhance their productivity and skills, adding that those
tools that were nonexistent in years ago.
Julius urged the youth to treat the opportunity given them seriously, emphasising its potential to propel them to great achievements in
the future.
All secondary school leavers within the ages of 18 and 25 who are awaiting admission into the university are invited to join the training sessions across five district centres in Lagos State. (NAN)