50 Youths Begin World Bank IDEAS-TVET Training in Gwagwalada

No fewer than 50 youths have commenced a six-month fashion design and garment-making training under the World Bank-backed IDEAS-TVET programme in Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The training is being conducted by Everest Heights Ltd., an accredited skills training centre, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education.

IDEAS-TVET stands for Innovation, Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills, a World Bank-supported Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme. The TVET equips participants with practical, job-related technical and vocational skills to help them secure employment, start businesses or improve their livelihoods.

Speaking at the event, Dr Olubukola Dosunmu, Co-Founder of Everest Heights Ltd., said the IDEAS-TVET programme is designed to equip unemployed and disadvantaged Nigerians with skills for self-reliance. She said Everest Heights applied after a call for proposals, underwent inspection and accreditation, and was subsequently selected as an approved training centre.

She said the centre recruited 50 beneficiaries from Gwagwalada at the grassroots level, in collaboration with the Saba Foundation and other community-based organisations. According to her, the six-month training covers sewing, mindset development, entrepreneurship, mentorship and internship, aimed at preparing beneficiaries for sustainable livelihoods beyond graduation.

Dosunmu said the programme is achievable for committed participants, who are expected to attend classes three to four days a week for at least five hours daily. She noted that trainees who initially struggled with fabric cutting were already showing improvement, stressing that the programme extends beyond sewing to building entrepreneurial and business sustainability skills.

She disclosed that Everest Heights was engaging stakeholders to provide post-training support, including tailoring machines, grants, internships and other start-up assistance for beneficiaries, and said the centre also offers training in electrical installation, solar installation, home-appliance maintenance, headgear and accessories making, hospitality, catering, digital marketing and social media communication.

Dosunmu urged beneficiaries to take the opportunity seriously, noting that the Federal Government provides free training alongside a N30,000 monthly transport stipend, and advised them to think beyond the six-month programme.

The wife of the Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Hajiya Yinka Mohammed, said her office would use the programme to empower more women, particularly vulnerable groups, noting that her office had previously implemented interventions aimed at improving women's lives. She described the training as an opportunity for beneficiaries to become economically independent.

"At the end of the day, there will be skills in the brain and there will be cash to start a life," she said, urging youths and women to shun laziness and take advantage of available opportunities, stressing that beneficiaries should not take the training for granted.

Also speaking, the wife of the Aguma of Gwagwalada, Hajiya Fatimah Muhammad, said the traditional institution had supported women and youth empowerment for about 40 years, describing it as a continuing priority. She disclosed that the palace facilitated the inclusion of beneficiaries in the current cohort, consistent with its longstanding support for women and youths.

Muhammad, who is also Founder of the Saba Foundation for Women and Orphans, said empowerment efforts should continue beyond graduation, adding that her foundation, in collaboration with the palace, would support graduates with starter packs to help them establish businesses and build on their newly acquired skills.

Prof. Adeniran Lateef, Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development and Students' Mentorship at Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, urged trainees to embrace innovation in fashion design to boost their earnings. He said the Federal Government had introduced entrepreneurship skills acquisition for undergraduates, noting that his centre trained 1,005 students in the previous year.

Lateef commended the proprietor of Everest Heights Ltd. for sustaining her vision and collaborating with relevant stakeholders, and urged the trainees to take the programme seriously.