Over 200 youths have been awarded certificates of completion in various vocational skills at Grace Springs Business and Vocational School (GSBVS) to bridge the unemployment gap in the country.
Sponsored by Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, Lagos, the vocational skills include baking and confectionery, bag making, fashion designing, makeup, hair making, shoe making and photography, among others.
Speaking at the ceremony, Operations Manager, GSBVS, Olumide Oyetunde, stressed the need to address the rising unemployment in the country by equipping youths with skills.
He said this would provide gainful employment and opportunities for wealth creation, thereby minimising social vices in society.
“Our mission is to impart knowledge that empowers individuals to create opportunities for self-development. Vocational training is gradually being given the attention it deserves as a veritable tool for national development.
“Government should play the role of a regulator and not a player in the field. The harmonisation of skill acquisition and training centres should be prioritised. Also, the certification of training and opportunity of continuing learning through tertiary institutions should be encouraged,” he added.
On her part, the keynote speaker, Mrs Hauwa Haruna-Sheidi, urged the graduating students to be focused and committed to their goals.
According to her, vocational skills are often more valuable than traditional white-collar jobs.
She maintained that as skilled professionals, the graduands have the potential to become entrepreneurs, creating jobs not just for themselves, but for others, saying the independence and ability to shape their own destiny is both empowering and rewarding.
She said: “By mastering your crafts, whether in fashion design, catering, leather works, photography, or cosmetology, you have equipped yourselves with invaluable skills. These skills are not just trades, but pathways to creating better lives for yourselves and your communities.”
Noting that the path to success is not always smooth, Haruna-Sheidi enjoined the graduands to be ready to make positive impacts.
