Nestle Accelerating Nigeria’s Industrialization Through Youths’ Employability Training
Beneficiaries of Nestle’s Employability Training displaying their Certificates acquired after training
By EDET UDOH
The issue of youth unemployment in Nigeria has continued to be an issue of great concern, and the number of unemployed youths have continued to increase by the day becoming a socio-economic malaise.
In 2022, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) projected that the country’s unemployment rate will hit 37 per cent in 2023. The group in its 2023 Macroeconomic Outlook report titled “Nigeria in Transition: Recipes for Shared Prosperity, said the country’s poverty headcount will also rise to 45 per cent.
In March 2022, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that Nigeria’s unemployment rate climbed to 34.5 percent in the fourth quarter (Q4) 2021 from 27.1 recorded in the second quarter (Q2) showing an upward trend.
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.
In order to create employment opportunities of her teeming unemployed youths, the federal government, in September 2021, launched the Nigerian Youth Employment Action Plan (NIYEAP 2021-2024).
The plan was aimed at mobilising the energies and capacities of the youth to minimise the risks to national security posed by rising unemployment but the scheme is yet to yield its desired result and as a result of this, the house of representatives in 2021, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency on unemployment in the country.
Concerned and passionate about the growth of Nigeria and its economy, and knowing fully well that government cannot do it all alone, especially in equipping the youth with the required skills they need to make a difference in life and contribute to the growth of their communities, Nestle Nigeria, in 2011, incepted an initiative to help young people build the capabilities and skills they need to contribute towards accelerating industrialization in Nigeria.
That initiative gave birth to the establishment of the first Nestle Technical Training Centre (NTTC) in 2011 at Nestlé’s Agbara factory in Ogun State.
Progressively, six years after in 2017, the second centre of the NTTC was opened in the Abaji factory, in the Federal Capital Territory to cater for young people in the Northern part of the country.
That was not enough, in order to create more rooms for more youth to participate in the programme, on Friday, February 10, 2023, Nestle Nigeria commissioned its third Technical Training Centre (TTC) located at the company’s Flowergate Factory in Ogun State.
Nestle Technical Training Centre allows trainees to participate in an intensive 18-month program which builds their competence in machining, mechanical fitting operations, electrical operations, instrumentation operations and automation.
The programme leads to the prestigious London City and Guilds technical certification with the top five graduates of each batch undergoing a further three-month internship programme at a Nestlé factory in Switzerland, sponsored by the Swiss Embassy in Nigeria.
So far, in the last 12 years, about 200 youths have benefited from the training of which over 95% of them have been directly employed by Nestlé Nigeria. All the participants in the programme who successfully completed the training and the top 5 performers have been given opportunity to undertaking an internship and mentoring programme at Nestlé factories in Switzerland.
In a bid to deepen the reach of her training and mentoring programme and catch them younger, Nestlé Nigeria in collaboration with REVAMP Africa also launched a mentoring programme for secondary schools powered by Nestlé Cares, the company’s global employee volunteering programme.
The mentoring programme is aimed at reaching over 10,000 Junior Secondary School Class two (JSS2), Senior Secondary School Class one and Senior Secondary Class two (SS1 and SS2) students in public secondary schools across the country with training on life values and life skills.
The programme is delivered in collaboration with REVAMP Africa, a youth-focused non-profit organization with the vision to revive educational values and maximize potential among young people, especially in public secondary schools.
The maiden edition of the four-week intensive training programme started with over 1,000 students of the Ilupeju Secondary School, in Lagos, in July 2021 and extended to the Company’s host communities in Sagamu and Abaji, reaching over 2,000 students at the Owode High School, Obafemi Owode in Ogun State and at the Government Secondary School, Abaji.
During the Commissioning of Nestle Technical Training Center (NTTC), Flowergate, Ogun State
Speaking at the commissioning of the third Nestle TTC at the Flowergate, Ogun State, the MD/CEO, Nestlé Nigeria, Mr Wassim Elhusseini said, “The technical training program is an initiative of our global flagship program, ‘Nestlé Needs Youth.’ The program is one of the sustainable pathways through which we contribute to meeting the technical needs in the industry while enabling young Nigerians access economic opportunities. Young people have a key role to play in shaping the future we desire. We are determined to remain at the forefront of the fight against youth unemployment by helping young people develop the capabilities and skills they need to contribute towards accelerating the industrialization we need to grow our economy”.
The Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbagbu said, “The set-up of Nestlé’s third technical training center in the country and second in Ogun State, attests to her commitment to manpower development, capacity building and technical skills acquisition, also focus areas for the Ogun State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. I sincerely appreciate the company for her investments towards building the competences of young people over the years and for her support and collaboration on the State Government’s effort towards improving technical education in the state”.
In his comments, Mr. Wale Oyerinde, Director General, Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA) said “With the rising unemployment and challenged educational system, one of the sure paths to rapid national development is Technical and vocational skills development. We commend Nestlé for her commitment and massive investment, not only in youth development but also in skills and National development. This effort is commendable and also worthy of emulation by other companies”.
Also speaking at the event, the Ogun State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Dr Kehinde Oluwadare congratulated Nestlé Nigeria for her continued contribution to the development of young people in Ogun State and the nation by prioritizing skills development and job creation, adding that “I am particularly delighted that the vision of the company is in tandem with the focus on youth empowerment by the Prince Dapo Abiodun led Administration”.
His Royal Majesty, Alaiyeluwa Oba Babatunde Adewale Ajayi, the Akarigbo and Paramount Ruler of Remoland said, “We are proud to be associated with Nestlé, particularly on the commencement of this wonderful initiative. I commend the Management of the company for investing in technical education of young people, who are the future of the country. We will make sure the company continues to have the enabling environment to continue to do good for and within this community”.
Expressing her delight on behalf of the trainees, Anthonia Ehibor one of the twenty trainees admitted into an 18-month Technical Training program at Nestlé Nigeria’s newest Technical Training Center (TTC) at the company’s Flowergate Factory in Ogun State, for her, she said she aspires to develop her technical competence in order to secure a good job in her chosen field.
According to Anthonia who is an indigene of Edo State with an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Engineering from the Federal Polytechnic Auchi, “I need to earn an income to meet my needs and to support my family.
“We are excited to be the pioneer students of Nestlé technical training centre, Flowergate. We appreciate Nestlé Nigeria for creating this opportunity for us to gain the skills we need to be future-ready. We look forward to learning, sharing ideas and networking within the 18 months of the training. You can count on us to put in the hard work and commitment required to make you and our parents proud,” she added.
Speaking at Nestlé Nigeria’s mentoring programme in collaboration with REVAMP Africa powered by Nestlé Cares, the Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Mrs Victoria Uwadoka, stated that the mentoring programme aims to reach over 10,000 Junior Secondary School Class two (JSS2), Senior Secondary School Class one and Senior Secondary Class two (SS1 and SS2) students in public secondary schools across the country with training on life values and life skills.
The programme, according to her is delivered in collaboration with REVAMP Africa, a youth-focused non-profit organization with the vision to revive educational values and maximize potential among young people, especially in public secondary schools.
She said the programme started with over 1,000 students of the Ilupeju Secondary School, in Lagos, in July 2021 and extended to the Company’s host communities in Sagamu and Abaji, reaching over 2,000 students at the Owode High School, Obafemi Owode in Ogun State and at the Government Secondary School, Abaji over a 4-week period.
According to her, “Nestlé Cares, provides employees with the opportunity to make an impact in local communities. It is a proven fact that good habits formed at a young age, set the tone for a productive, successful future. Through the Mentorship Program developed in collaboration with REVAMP Africa, we are happy to make a difference by helping young Nigerians in secondary schools to imbibe the values that would equip them as a future generation of transformational leaders.”
“We are delighted to see how passionate our employees are to engage with the young people, teaching them the benefits of having the right values. We also teach the youth how to handle peer pressure, interpersonal relationships, time management and goal setting. In addition, we teach them the benefits of healthy nutrition which is key to a healthy life.
Victoria Uwadoka reaffirmed that Nestlé Cares Employee Volunteer Programme will continue to provide opportunities for Nestlé employees to give back to society by offering their time, talent and resources while impacting individuals and families, communities, and the environment.
Speaking on the collaboration with Nestlé, the Founder, REVAMP Africa, Kelechi Anyalechi said, “We are a youth-focused non-profit organization with the vision to revive educational values and maximize potential among young people, especially in public secondary schools. We are raising leaders, who will transform their communities, country, Africa and the world. We are always so inspired to see the turn-out of Nestlé employees which demonstrates their strong commitment to making a difference in society. In addition to Lagos, Sagamu and Abaji, we will be extending the mentoring program to public secondary schools in Enugu, Port-Harcourt, Jos, Kaduna, Agbara and Abuja reaching over 10,000 students in the coming months.”
Recounting her experience during the four weeks of the mentoring programme, Akinwale Temitope, a student of SS1 C in Ilupeju secondary school said, “I learnt a lot about values. The value that stood out most for me was humility, the quality of modesty. I also learnt about setting goals, time management and self-reliance. Thank you, Nestlé Cares and Revamp Africa, for the opportunity to learn.”
Commenting on the programme, the principal of Ilupeju Secondary School Mr. Adeoye B. Adebowale said “I want to thank Nestlé for coming to mentor our students, and for helping us and the government add value to the younger generation. Our mission is to be the foremost school where academics with high moral values are achieved. This mentoring program reiterates what we do and what we believe in.”
Nestle Nigeria in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8 – to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all by 2030, has continued to partner various organisations and institutions including Alliance for Youth Nigeria in organizing trainings for Nigerian youths. Between August 2021, when the programme was launched, thousands of Nigerian Youths have benefitted from the training and also gainfully employed.
In November 2021, 5,000 of them were selected to take part in the training covering soft and digital skills to prepare them for the world of work. While all participants were given the opportunity to Industry Leaders from member companies, the best performers benefitted from internship and mentoring opportunities in the six companies that form part of the Alliance.
The Alliance believes that accelerating and increasing investments in youth as well as creating direct opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship will go a long way towards tackling the current social and economic challenges posed by high youth unemployment in the country.
Members of the Alliance for Youth Nigeria include Nestlé Nigeria, Jobberman Nigeria, Sterling One Foundation, Big Bottling Company, the United Nations Global Compact Network Nigeria and U-Connect HR Limited.
It is therefore imperative for all hands to be on deck to birth a new Nigeria where industrialization will be our focus. For this to be possible, there is need for our youths to be educationally/Scientifically, technically and skillfully prepared. The only way this can be done is when the education and technical skill acquisition of our youths becomes the concern for all Nigerians including government at all levels. Government should provide conducive environment to encourage investment and industrialization while lending rate is reduced to the barest minimum so that youths entrepreneurs can access loan to start their own businesses.
A prosperous nation and a thriving community is a function of skillful, self-reliant and well empowered youths.
