The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, in collaboration with Jake Riley Academy, has trained 250 youths in Lagos in solar installation and other high-demand vocational skills as part of efforts to promote self-reliance and job creation.
The beneficiaries graduated on Monday from the NCDMB Lagos Youth Skills Training Programme, a capacity-building initiative designed to equip young Nigerians with practical, income-generating skills relevant to the country’s evolving labour market.
The trainees received hands-on instruction in solar installation and electrical fittings, alongside other vocations such as catering, fashion design, Adire making and digital skills.
At the graduation ceremony, each participant was presented with a starter pack aligned with their area of training to enable them to immediately begin their chosen trade.
Delivering the keynote address, the Chief Executive Officer of Jake Riley Limited, Mrs Funmi Ogbue, described the initiative as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s human capital, stressing that the country’s most valuable resource was its youth.
According to her, the training was deliberately designed to provide market-ready and income-generating skills capable of addressing unemployment and driving local economic growth.
“This programme exists because the NCDMB understands a fundamental truth: Nigeria’s greatest resource is not the oil beneath our soil, but the talent, creativity and potential of our young people,” Ogbue said.
She noted that the graduands emerged from a rigorous selection process and had undergone intensive training in business development, digital marketing, financial literacy and customer service, in addition to technical specialisations.
Ogbue urged the participants to prioritise excellence, discipline and integrity as they enter the marketplace, adding that technical skills alone were not sufficient for long-term success.
“Tools alone do not guarantee success. Your attitude does. Your work ethic does. Your commitment to quality does. Your integrity does,” she said.
Some of the graduands said the training has boosted their confidence in future opportunities.
The graduation ceremony underscored the NCDMB’s continued commitment to youth empowerment and vocational training, as stakeholders reaffirmed the role of skills development in driving economic growth and national self-sufficiency.
