Christy Anyanwu
Recently, the multi-purpose hall of the Yaba College of Technology was a beehive of activities, as many young people congregated at the premises for the third edition of the Rose of Sharon Foundation Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP) 2018.
There were also many professionals from various fields who were at the event to educate, motivate and inspire participants.
With the theme, ‘Young Entrepreneurs of the 21st Century: Bridging the Knowledge Gap,’ YEP is the foundation’s career development and capacity building programme for graduates and undergraduate job seekers, working class and self-employed youths of Rose of Sharon Foundation.
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The programme, it was gathered, is tailored to address specific career needs of the participants for self-reliance to support their families and become a useful part of the society.
In her welcome speech, the founder of the foundation, Mrs Folorunso Alakija enjoined participants to get requisite information and knowledge before going into any venture.
“You must understand the dynamics of the industry to avoid falling into land mines. Even the bible tells us: ‘My people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge.’ Therefore, make sure that you are armed with as much information as possible to enable you navigate through your area of interest or challenging terrains.”
She recalled that the first edition of the programme was held on April 22, 2017, with 115 participants in attendance.
She said there were modules presented during the programme that focused on Learning employability skills required for employment such as preparing for interviews, Do’s and Don’ts of CV writing, how to compete in the market place, common mistakes at interview panels and how to change jobs.
According to her, feedbacks from beneficiaries who wanted to get further skills inspired the second edition of YEP in March with 194 participants in attendance.
The participants were trained in five vocational skill areas such as: wig making, fancy slippers making (male and female), shea butter processing for export, perfumery and soap production.
“In our bid to reach out and touch more lives, we decided to make this programme an open one for both our beneficiaries and the general public. As at yesterday, a total of 441 participants had registered online to attend the Youth Empowerment Programme and others have also registered onsite today,” she said.
She charged the participants to listen attentively and grasp knowledge from the seasoned professionals who, she explained, had carved a niche for themselves in their various endeavours.
“These ones have volunteered their time, energy and skills to impact your lives by sharing their wealth of knowledge and experiences with you,” she noted.
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Speakers at the event were Ambassador Utchay Odims, a life coach; Mrs Chioma Chukwuka, award-winning actor and movie producer; Mr Jude Oguta, Digital Media consultant; Conrad Adigwe, CEO
Sophia ERP Ltd; Adewunmi Oni, finance management consultant, and Yussuf Billiamin Moore, CEO Moore Money.
They spoke on diverse issues relating to their careers. Some of the topics include Leverage technology for global competitiveness, Thrive in the agricultural sector, Develop your Financial Management skills and Success in the Entertainment & Fashion industry.