ITECH Vocational Charity, Ilesa, Osun State, an institute created by a group of professionals who aim to impact the grassroots through vocational skills to be able to stand on their own, has graduated 80 students who were trained on computer fundamentals and tech foundation among other courses.
The students who have been freely trained are from the grassroot communities in Osun State.
The 80 graduating students are from St. Lawrence’s Grammar School, Ilesa, Iloko Model College, Oloko and AFOPET College, and some other graduands from the center.
Speaking at the graduation and onboarding ceremony held at the ITECH training center in Ilesa, Osun State, on Friday, the Center Manager, Mosaku Moyogbore, said teachers at various schools have also been trained, who in turn, trained their students to complement the training offered at the centre.
“We are graduating 80 students from St. Lawrence’s Grammar School, Iloko Model College, AFOPET College, and our center. They comprise younger and older people. The students have been trained in Computer Fundamentals, Tech Foundation, A+, Network+, Data+, Security+, Helpdesk and Application Support.
“Also we are onboarding new programmes which include, solar generator building, solar installation, mobile phone repairs and computer engineering and this will be a six-month training programme,” he said.
No fewer than ten new students were admitted for various programmes at the centre.
Addresing the graduands, a Chief lecturer from the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, and currently the Head, Marketing Department of the institution, Dr. Lawrence Ige Fagbohun urged the youths to establish themselves in line with skills they have acquired, urging them to embrace mentorship and build fruitful relationships.
Speaking on the topic: “Youth Empowerment and Challenges of Setting Up a New Enterprise,” Fagbohun said, “To build a nation, you have to train a child. The essence of the training is to allow these children to stand on their own. Today, job is no longer available and Federal Government cannot provide job for everybody. If they are not trained, they go into crimes and for them not to go into crimes, that is why this NGO, ITECH Vocational Charity has been training young Nigerians from rural communities in Osun.”
He said, “ITECh has taken it upon themselves to train these people. After the raining, there is the need for them to go out and establish themselves and in establishing themselves, there are some challenges they would face when they get to the field, including the one from the government who cannot even provide the job. A new starter maybe expected to pay levies, pay taxes, and other levies and in this case, it may be difficult for them to cope as a stater, buy, they should package themselves in such a way that they will not be exposed to these levies.”
He further encouraged the graduating students not to be afraid of starting small, saying, “When you start small, you will grow big. You need to make relationship with your competitors in business and seek knowledge.”
In his remarks, ITECH President, Mr Adewale Ladesuyi, expressed happiness at the graduation, noting that the youngsters would make Nigeria proud in the areas they have been trained.
“It goes to show that Nigerian youngsters can achieve a lot and when the graduands are growing up and doing well, it will make others to join them. The implication of this training is that they have brighter future which some others may not know about, but when they are enjoying the dividends of what they have acquired, others will be envying them.
“We have inculcated honesty in them and we told them to understand that without honesty, they cannot get anywhere but if they put honesty into action, then, the sky is the beginning of their success,” he said.