16:07:2024
By Ephraim Mkpanam, ABUJA
TechAdvantage, a technology hub modelled after the popular GSM village apprenticeship scheme, was recently unveiled in Abuja , to enable teeming population of Nigerian youths acquire new ICT skills.
During the unveiling, Dr Olushola Odusanya, Director General of the National Centre for Technology Management(NACETEM), told Journalists that the focus was to bring new knowledge into society, enabling people to learn new, useful and marketable skills.
He said it could be likened to an unconventional school that provides new knowledge to help people become more productive.
“It important for us at NACETEM because creating alternative means of education is important.
” We also know that there is a learning crisis, that in most educational institutions, you have people who are there but not learning, and some are learning but not at the right level.
“So, all these issues come back as throw back to society. Hence, this is a correction model for people to learn and use the apprenticeship model to learn new skills.
” Skills that are marketable but most importantly, give them livelihood opportunities, ” Odusanya said.
The NACETEM Boss disclosed that Uche Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology initiated TechAdvantage program of which NACETEM is a partner, pointing out that NACETEM was a finishing school focused on using alternative education models to train people.
Mr Amu Ogbeide, Group CEO of Sapphital Learning, said: “We are looking at creating two million jobs in the next two years but we are starting with apprenticeship, one of Nigeria’s favorite ways of training the next generation.”
” Now, we’ve taken it online. Wherever you are in Nigeria, you can apply for the apprenticeship program and learn technical skills that would enable you succeed, “Ogbeide said.
He disclosed that the scheme was starting with 500,000 apprentices, adding that since the launch of the TechAdvantage scheme in February, they had been engaged in building it’s growth.
“Today we just unveiled the apprenticeship program,” he said.
The Sapphital Learning Executive Director, Finance and Strategy, Mr Chinedu Ogbeide, also disclosed that they had been visiting GSM villages across the country on a sensitization tour to register members and to bring them online to attract credibility to the TechAdvantage platform..
” TechAdvantage is an online project which is built on credibility and creative solutions,” he said .
He explained that there was creative solutions for entrepreneurs, and aspiring entrepreneurs, sellers, technicians and customers who need solutions to their tech issues.
Similarly, Mrs Ego Phillips, also from Sapphital Learning and technical partner to TechAdvantage, stated that the biggest take-away of the unveiling was the vision of the presidency to empower and train young people through the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology with the TechAdvantage initiative.
She said with the TechAdvantage digital platform, young people can learn, sell, and empower themselves financially which was important.
“So, we are pushing for entrepreneurship for young people through TechAdvantage,” she said.