The Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a training firm, Trantouch International under its Technical Students Entrepreneurial and Empowerment Conference (TECHSEEC) initiative to train 5,000 students of all technical schools across the State.

The training programme is designed to train students on GSM repairs, Graphics Design, Social Media Engagement and soft skills like Teamwork, Decision Making, Problem solving and effective communication skills.

Speaking at the signing of the MoU, the Acting Executive Secretary, Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board, Engr. Laolu Oguntuyi said the training will specifically correct the wrong perception people have of vocational training as a non-lucrative venture, stressing that students of technical colleges represent creative and innovative minds capable of bringing about needed technological changes to the society.

He said, “We have realized that soft and hard skills are actually needed to be financially independent. In actualizing this, we need to tell the world that vocational training is not inferior to academic training but rather to complement it as well as reduce the unemployment rate in the State”.

According to Engr. Oguntuyi, the training will specifically expose the students to the expectations of industries thereby bridging the gap between school curriculum and industries who are the final beneficiaries of the students’ skills.

The Convener and CEO of Trantouch International, Mr. John Collins, who is also a product of one of the technical colleges in Lagos, asserted that having travelled out of the country and seeing how things are done in other developed climes, it is essential to expose the students to practical skills, knowledge and experience needed to excel in the real world.

He said the platform will also be an avenue to motivate students as renowned technologists like Hasseb Hassan of Intek Solution, Nnamdi Ezeigbo, the CEO Slot Systems Limited and many others would conduct some of the training sessions.

“This platform will reward outstanding students in order to drive and motivate creativity. With this idea, we will be having students coming up with creative ideas and innovations that would be shown to the world” he stated.

Mrs. Agbeyo Rhoda, CEO, Rhoda Michaels Fashion Academy, said the situation of the country presently is disheartening considering the unimaginable number of creative youths who are yet to discover what they have got.

She encouraged all the students to be part of the initiative, saying, “If all can be part of this, it will in no doubt grow the economy of this country”.

Meanwhile, Mr. Abdullahi Nurudeen of BOSCH, affirmed that the training initiative is a great challenge geared towards improvement of vocational schools in the State. He therefore called on the government to invest more on vocational training, particularly training the students with modern technologies.