Employment: 5,000 undergraduates begin training in three Lagos centers

At least 5,000 final year students from eight tertiary institutions in Lagos have commenced training in three different centres for the third edition of the Ready.Set.Work, an Entrepreneurship and Employability Training programme of the State’s Ministry of Education.

The training programme commenced at the weekend at the three designated centres including LASU, Ojo Campus; LASPOTECH, Ikorodu Campus and UNILAG, Akoka, with scores of professionals from different sectors of the economy, who have signed up as volunteers in the Ready.Set.Work Faculty which will run for 13 weeks.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh in a statement on Monday, said the peculiarity of the ongoing edition of Ready.Set.Work initiative was a testament to the unwavering commitment of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to human capital development, especially for Students in Lagos State.

He said, “This administration has committed resources to the Ready.Set.Work project since its inception. In his resolve to empower youths in the State and stem the tide of unemployment, the Governor has mandated that the programme must be expanded to cater for every student in any Tertiary Institution in Lagos State.”

“You we recall that the programme started in 2016 with 500 final year students from three institutions namely; Lagos State University, LASU; Lagos State Polytechnic, LASPOTECH and Lagos State College of Health Technology, LASCOHET. I am glad to announce that this year; we have 25,000 students from eight institutions participating in the programme. About 5,000 of these students, who are in their final year, have resumed the 13-week campus classes as of Saturday, while 20,000 others in their penultimate year will participate in the programme through the RSW Online Academy.”

Vice Chancellor of LASU, Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun (SAN) as well as the Provost of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) Dr. (Mrs.) Oladele Aina were on ground for the kick off at the LASU Centre hosting over 2,400 Ready.Set.Work students.

Addressing the students, Dr. Aina stressed the importance of the programme, expressing optimism that it would help the beneficiaries see the real world of work and give them a seamless transition into it.

Professor Fagbohun, on his part, emphasized how privileged the final year students were to be in the programme this year.
“About 10,000 final year students wanted to be a part of this programme, but only you were chosen. What that tells you is this: You are the best of the best. You must recognize your strength and give it your best,” he said.

In Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, where over 2,000 students are enrolled in the programme, the Rector of the Institution, leading the entire management team was on ground throughout the day to inspire the students and ensure a smooth kick off.

Some of the students could not hold back their excitement as they took to their various social media platforms to give kudos to the State Government and Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for the laudable project.

Tejumade Akintunde said, “This is an amazing programme, I can’t wait to receive more interesting lectures. The content of the programme is rich and impactful”.

Another participating student, Olumide said, “Lagos State is really investing a lot in the Ready.Set.Work programme. It is totally worth the time.”

This year, as in previous years, the programme boasts a team of Volunteer Faculty and project support staff, all professional and talented individuals who have chosen to give up theirSaturday to train, mentor and positively impact the lives of these students.

For the next 13 weeks, they will be bringing to bear their knowledge and wealth of experience to shape and inspire the next generation of workers and business owners.

The Ready.Set.Work 2018 cohort includes students from Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Lagos State College of Health Technology (LASCOHET), Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED), University of Lagos (UNILAG), Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), a private institution, CALEB University.