Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos in partnership with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) are to train a million girls in Nigeria on education skills, under the UNICEF’s programme, "Girls’ Education Skills and Partnership (GESP)"
The college is expected to empower five thousand (5000) girls in Lagos State to boost access to skills and economic opportunities for adolescent girls and young women, supporting them to become employable, entrepreneurial and better skilled in information communication technology (ICT).
The rector of Nigeria's premier tertiary institution , Dr. (Engr.) Ibraheem Abdul disclosed this at the opening ceremony of a five-day course design workshop on Girls Education Skills and Partnership (GESP) sponsored by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) holding at the college PTDF/CITM Computer laboratory with over sixty participants.
Abdul emphasized the significance of the Girls’ Education Skills and Partnership project, which seeks to provide sustainable livelihood training for the girl child, necessary skills acquisition and having significant employment.He highlighted the importance of ICT skills, stressing that they are in high demand and are essential for long-lasting skill development.
The project according to him, will utilize a pedagogical approach, combining online learning with practical workplace experience.
"Empowering our girls with ICT skills is not just about addressing the gender gap; it's about equipping them with tools for a sustainable future, and we are committed at providing our students with the necessary skills to thrive in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape;" the rector stated.
“As far as National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) is concerned, YABATECH is leading the trend by tapping into its objectives of targeting 5,000 women for profitable skills acquisition”.
“This is the first workshop in the college that will strictly target girls’ empowerment, it is very expedient to give the women the conducive atmosphere in acquiring skills, and the College has what it takes in ensuring that the workshop is successful”; he assured
The rector enjoined the participants to pay rapt attention during the intensive workshop in order for them to acquire the required skills and template towards making the project a success.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, represented by the Director, NBTE Southwest Zonal office, Mr. Ayo Aroge commended Yabatech for its commitment to skills development in Nigeria.
He expressed the board's excitement about the College's initiative to train the girl child, which aligns with the current demand for skilled professionals.
According to him, "the future of our nation depends on the quality of education we provide our young people, and initiatives like this are crucial in ensuring that we remain competitive in the global economy,"
Bugaje remarked that by investing in the skills development of our girls, Yabatech is not only empowering them but also contributing to the overall development of the society.
The NBTE boss who congratulated the participants for their attendance,
said that the workshop was targeted at empowering 5,000 girls for skills acquisition in Lagos State, with men playing active roles in achieving the objectives
The project coordinator, Dr. Funmilayo Doherty in her welcome address said that the workshop was made possible through the support of United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
She said that facilitators at the workshop were drawn from the team from United Kingdom partners, INASP and Nigerian counterparts with focus on gender-responsive pedagogy approach that will be integrated into the learning design template.
Doherty declared that the range of learning resources would be developed to equip adolescent girls and young women with market relevant skills and the courses during the workshop includes resources for Adolescent Girls and Young Women developed as Open Education Resources for GSM and Mobile Phone Repairs, Computer Hardware Maintenance and Repairs, Mobile Applications Development and Web Application Development.
(l-r) The Yabatech-UNICEF Project Coordinator, Dr. 'Funmilayo Doherty, Rector, Yaba College of Technology, Dr. Engr. Ibraheem Abdul, the representative of Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Mr. Ayo Aroge and Ag. Registrar, Yaba College of Technology, Dr. Emmanuel Akinwale at the opening ceremony of the workshop, Girls Education Skills and Partnership (GESP) sponsored by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) held at Yabatech
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