Eighty-four youths have become the latest batch of trainees to emerge from Nigeria LNG (NLNG)’s skill acquisition and capacity building programme, Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES).

YES is one of NLNG’s numerous initiatives designed to make youths y in its host communities self-reliant as well as economically and socially responsible through guided technical and managerial development training.

At the graduation ceremony held over the weekend in Port Harcourt, the 84 graduands were awarded National certifications – NABTEB and Trade Test II in the fields of Welding, Automotive, Photography/Videography, Farm Management and Hospitality (Catering/Hotel Management).

Speaking on the key success factors of the scheme, Deputy Managing Director of NLNG, Sadeeq Mai-Bornu, represented by the General Counsel and Company Secretary, Aka Nwokedi, said: “During the training, Nigeria LNG initiated a monitoring scheme to inspire the trainers and the trainees to be focused on the main objective of the programme. The result is that all the 84 trainees for the 2018 scheme are graduating with excellent grades. Nigeria LNG considers this a 100% success rate. We are recording this first in the history of the programme.”

Sadeeq also said that NLNG also introduced start-up mentoring programme beyond procurement and hand-over of starter packs to ensure that the youths are self-reliant as well as employers of labour upon graduation.

Regarding making it big in their chosen careers, Sadeeq charged the graduating youths to form partnerships that will enable them work as a team and stabilise in the business, rather than go into splinter groups that may not have the strength to survive as new businesses.

YES was launched in 2004 as a sustainable development initiative aimed at youths (18-35 years old) within NLNG’s over 100 host and pipeline communities. Since its inception, more than 900 youths from these communities have benefitted from the scheme through vocational modules in hair-dressing and cosmetology, catering and events management, fashion and design, photography and video production, welding and fabrication, wood work and furniture making and most recently, farming techniques.

The scheme has also enjoyed continued support and mentoring for trainees from five of its training providers – Plantgeria Nigeria Limited (Automotive), Topearl Catering and Hospitality Management (Catering), JB Multimedia Limited (Video Production and Photography), Lincoln Continental Limited (Advanced Welding) and Farmers’ Business School (Farm Management).

Update news