Kunle Adelabu & Mariam Akinloye
The Agency for Mass Education, under the Ministry of Education, has continued its partnership with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), to provide access to loan and entrepreneurship opportunities for its trainees across its vocational trainee centres.
This year’s edition of the training, which is usually organized for trainees that are passing out after months of vocational studies, kicked off in Ikorodu, on Monday.
There are 22 skills across eight vocational centres in the state, with 4000 trainees at the moment learning different vocational skills from tailoring, hairdressing, ICT, music, barbing and catering among others.
The 2024 sensitisation on loan and employment opportunities kicked – off at the Rotary Vocational Training Centre, along the Igbogbo/Bola Tinubu/Igbe Laara Road, Stadium, Igbogbo, and it is expected to hold at three other venues in Epe, Agege, and will end in Surulere, on August 29, 2024.
Hundreds of trainees from various centres in Ikorodu, took part in the training during which trainees also registered for the LSETF loan.
Mrs Olukemi Kalesanwo, Director, Agency for Mass Education, speaking at the senstisation programme, said that her agency is focused on mass education, mass literacy, and continuous education/tutorial centres and vocational training.
She said that there are plans to establish additional three centres this year, in order to provide youths and others more opportunities to acquire skills.
“I am appealing to you to see everything being taught here as a way to make your life better, before you come into this centre or Etunrere vocational centre, so, please, make the best use of this opportunity”, she charged the trainees.
“We have brought people here to show you how you can make money from your businesses, and how you can access loan from them. We have representatives of Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, we also have representative of 4m4w, they will tell you about financial literacy: how you can manage your funds when you get it, and monitor you when they give you the money.
“It is either they give you the money or they buy the equipment for you and you repay them. The good thing is that we are not throwing you into the shark’s mouth.
“The opportunity that you have here is when you finish learning your skill, either for the three months, six months or nine months programmes, you can start your business on your own. You do not necessarily have to have a shop”, she said.
Mrs Kalesanwo stated that aside from providing the trainees with loan to start their business, they will also learn how to effectively reach out to potential customers through advertisement, especially on the social media.
“One of the things I am sure you will learn is how to advertise your product on social media. When you advertise on social media, people will see all the things you are doing and they will start patronising you.
“You must be patient, friendly and always smiling with your customers, though, you also must be firm. You must know how to manage all your customers who are not the same.
“Everything that we will teach you here is to put food on your table and give you money”, she said.
The Director enjoined young males to also take advantage of the training centres and also enroll to acquire skills.
“We have some males trainees among us, but l am encouraging the males to enroll. We need more of them to come into our program. It is not just women or female affair alone”.
She charged the male trainees to get other male to enroll and acquire vocational skills and other opportunities that are available.
Head Vocational Centre Department of the agency, Mrs Ayo Salu, said that the LSETF has been partnering the agency, adding that the support is needed this year because of the economic challenges which she said have made it difficult for entrepreneurs, especially their trainees, to get support to start their businesses.
“This year, it is very important because we have found out from the current economic situation in the country, that every business must be empowered, because economically, finance is a problem.
“Finance, management of their businesses, the method of running their businesses, and a lot of things like branding their businesses and also registering them, are big challenges that they face. This is why we are partnering LSETF at the end of every vocational year, to empower them.
“The certificate collected by the trainees, is their collateral and we have to start impacting the financial management knowledge on them so that by the time that they go out, they will not have any problem. This is why today’s training is very important and germane.
“We expect them to follow up from here and become great entrepreneurs which is not easy to become.
“Lagos State Employment Trust Fund is giving out loan at little or no interest rate compare to the enormous rate being charged by banks. So, if anyone of them is lucky to get the loan, they will become job providers and they can put food on the table for their families”.
Head of the Funding and Partnership, LSETF, Mrs Mojirayo Folarin Lawal, engaged the trainees on how the employment agency partners entreprenuers in funding their businesses and creating further wealth.
She said that LSETF mandate is to create wealth and employments through programs and projects that are focus on job placement, training like vocational ones, digital skills, youth empowerment and access to finances.
“LSETF is trying to create opportunities for Lagos State residents, where you can have access to do more in your business. In running the economy, everyone can also impact. So, that is what we do at LSETF”, she said.
Mr Mustapha Ibrahim, Director, Monitoring for the Agency for Mass Education, said that enrolment for the skill programmes in any centre is seamless and that the prgrammes are affordable.
Some of the trainees that showed interest in the LSETF loan, said that the support is a great opportunity that would assist them in realizing their business aims and objectives.
Ahmed Oyinkonsola, a fashion student from Etunrere Vocational Centres, commended the initiative which she described as government’s effort in improving people’s lives.
“This is a great opportunity that comes once in a while. The opportunity is something that someone should grab since the government has made access available to us. They are trying to improve our lives by bringing this type of program to us.
“Some people have acquired skills, but they don’t have the funds to start the business and they are being prevented from practising and improving on what they have learnt, because of lack of money.
“ The government has made it easy for us to access loan and start our business. So, I thank the Lagos State government for this opportunity”, she said.
Another beneficiary from the Rotary Vocational Centre, Igbogbo, Sola Ahmed who has completed six months training in tailoring and intend to go for another six months training, also appreciated the government’s gesture.
“The loan is a very good program, in fact, I was very happy when I heard about through a message that was sent to us on the platform. This is a very interesting program.
“We are going to use the money to start our busness so that we too can help others to learn.
” We are going to use the money to start our own business, so that we too can help others to learn. At least, people from outside can come to us to learn.
“We thank our governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo- Olu, for what he has been doing for us, because we been hearing about this in the news and it is our turn to benefit today”, she said.
